Department for Transport

Department for Transport: Universal Credit

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate he has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of staff employed by his Department who are in receipt of universal credit; and if he will make a statement.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: We are unable to provide the requested information as the Department for Transport and its Executive Agencies do not record or collate information on staff in receipt of universal credit as standard.

Aviation

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department's news story, Government champion raises profile for general aviation, published on 7 February 2018, when his Department plans to publish the York Aviation report on proposals for a strategic network for general aviation airfields.

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to his Department's news story, Government champion raises profile for general aviation, published on 7 February 2018, when he plans to implement the general aviation strategic network.

Jesse Norman: The Government has appointed Byron Davies as its first ever General Aviation Champion, in order to identify a network of strategically important airfields and to help the future development of the general aviation sector. He is being assisted by York Aviation, which the Department has commissioned to carry out research on airfields of strategic significance. The Government intends to publish his report and the York Aviation report alongside the Aviation Strategy Green Paper later this year. The Government will only be able to take decisions on implementing a general aviation strategic network once the General Aviation Champion has made his recommendations and consultation has concluded on the Aviation Strategy Green Paper.

Aviation

Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what guidance his Department provides on the commercial development of general aviation airfields.

Jesse Norman: The Department for Transport has published no guidance on the commercial development of general aviation airfields. The development of such airfields is a matter for their owners and operators, within national planning policy, including the revised National Planning Policy Framework published on 24 July 2018.

Large Goods Vehicles: Safety

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what research he has commissioned on the design of heavy goods vehicles to determine what alterations could be made to improve road safety for cyclists and pedestrians; and if he will make a statement.

Jesse Norman: The Department for Transport has not commissioned any recent research in this area but it has monitored research commissioned by other bodies, including Transport for London and the European Commission. Officials have liaised with Transport for London on their proposals to improve the design of heavy goods vehicle cabs to allow the driver a better view, especially on the passenger side. The Government supported the notification of the technical requirements to the European Commission and is optimistic that these measures will come into force for certain large goods vehicles entering London from October 2019. We are also supporting measures under the European Commission’s Third Mobility Package to improve further the protection of pedestrians and cyclists. The European Commission has carried out research to reduce the danger of HGV vehicle fronts in the context of vulnerable road users. We anticipate final proposals based upon this research to be published by the end of the year.

Railways: North West

Cat Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to Answer of 17 October 2018 to Question 177342 on Railways: North West, if he will publish the public expenditure on railways in each region of the UK between 2013/14 to 2016/17.

Joseph Johnson: Figures on public sector expenditure at a regional level are part of the Government’s Country and Regional Analysis (CRA) statistics. These provide statistical allocations of public spending according to where the benefits of that spend are accrued. The latest CRA statistics, published by Treasury in November 2017, present data up to 2016-17 and are published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/country-and-regional-analysis. The statistics include spend on transport by all public sector organisations including the Department for Transport, Local Authorities, Public Corporations (in the case of transport, this is mainly spend by London Underground) and other Government Departments including devolved administrations. The most recent statistics up to 2016/17 are presented in the table below. These show total public expenditure on national railways by region, and reflect the levels of both ‘capital’ and ‘current’ (resource) expenditure. It is important to note however that it is challenging, when talking about a system or network such as the railway, to accurately break down regional spending in a meaningful way. As a network, where the expenditure takes place on the railway is not always an accurate reflection of where the benefits are felt. An investment in one part of the country may improve the journeys of all the people passing through that area, providing network benefits that, whilst difficult to account for, are spread beyond the immediate region concerned. For example, improvements to the rail network in Birmingham can benefit services all the way from Edinburgh to Penzance. The life-spans of railway assets also present a challenge when considering the regional spread of infrastructure funding at any single point in time. The 25-40 year lives of some assets naturally mean that there will be a cyclical nature to replacing them that does not lend itself to an even split of funding across all regions within say a five year period. For example whilst a project like Crossrail has recently caused a spike in expenditure concentrated in London during construction, significant enhancement work on the West Coast Main Line was completed towards the end of the 2000s, meaning that further significant spend on that line could be expected to occur not over the past five years but in future periods[MS1] . Regarding spend in London, London has a substantial number of daily commuters and visitors, both domestically and internationally, who will be using and benefitting from the public transport networks in London but who aren’t residents in London. The unique scale and urban density of London by comparison to other parts of the country also means that it is particularly adapted to large scale public transport networks. Key parts of the rail network serve as international travel ‘hubs’ for the whole of the country. For geographic reasons, many of these are concentrated in London and the South East, for example, the UK's sole rail link to continental Europe (via St Pancras International and the Channel Tunnel[MS2] ).Total annual public sector expenditure on railways (£millions, nominal) 2013/142014/152015/1612016/17East of England4265571,017883East Midlands201197444332London3,8704,1495,7746,796North East196185258291North West8937581,4761,262South East7027281,3951,816South West215226481750West Midlands394521932872Yorkshire and The Humber609391937741Northern Ireland55618294Scotland9658491,0451,223Wales392427610517Outside UK728578103Total Expenditure 8,992  9,134  14,529  15,681 1Due to the reclassification of Network Rail into the public sector from 2015/16, care should be taken when making historical comparisons. [MS1]From evidence to the TSC[MS2]From previous PQs.

Public Transport: Kent

Rehman Chishti: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of public transport links in (a) Medway and (b) Kent.

Jesse Norman: The Department has worked to improve rail services in Kent, bringing new journey opportunities with the introduction of Thameslink services to London Bridge, Blackfriars, City Thameslink, Farringdon and St. Pancras. The new South Eastern Franchise will deliver better and more reliable journeys, and more room for passengers, integrating seamlessly with future Thameslink and Elizabeth Line services to transform travel across London, Kent and parts of East Sussex. The bus market outside London is deregulated and decisions regarding service provision is primarily a commercial matter for bus operators. Decisions on subsidised bus services are a matter for individual English local authorities, in the light of their other spending priorities. The Bus Services Act 2017 provides the tools local authorities need to improve local bus services.

Public Transport: Crimes of Violence

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the safety of passengers from (a) verbal and (b) physical abuse on the public transport network.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Government is committed to reducing crime, anti-social behaviour and the fear of crime wherever it occurs in the transport system. We want to see more and more people using public transport - one of the key ways of encouraging this is to make sure it is a safe option. The Department works with the British Transport Police (BTP) to tackle crime and anti-social behaviour on the railways in Great Britain. Under their franchise agreements, Train Operating Companies are required to work with BTP to manage and reduce railway crime. BTP also operates a popular dedicated crime reporting text service - ‘61016’ – which allows people to report offences to the police easily and discreetly.

Public Transport: Tickets

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many passengers travelled on the public transport without a valid ticket in 2017.

Joseph Johnson: The Department does not hold this information. Revenue protection is a matter for each transport operator concerned.

Public Transport: Disability

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure access to public transport by passengers with disabilities.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Government is committed to ensuring that disabled people have the same access to transport and opportunities to travel as everyone else. In July 2018 the Government launched the Inclusive Transport Strategy (ITS) which sets out key policy and investment priorities to deliver a wholly inclusive transport system. The ITS is, however, only applicable to England and, in some areas, Great Britain. Transport is an entirely devolved matter to the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Public Transport: Standards

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to tackle delays to public transport services.

Joseph Johnson: Public transport in Northern Ireland is devolved. However, looking more widely across the United Kingdom, the bus market outside London is deregulated and decisions regarding service provision is primarily a commercial matter for bus operators or for individual local authorities in the case of services that they support. The Bus Services Act 2017 provides the tools local authorities need to improve local bus services. The Department’s guidance on the Bus Services Act recommends that local authorities work with operators to tackle traffic congestion which can cause delays to bus services. On 12 October 2017, the Secretary of State for Transport published the Final Statement of Funds Available (SoFA) for the railway in England and Wales for Control Period 6, which covers the years 2019 to 2024[1]. This continues funding for the latest stage in the Government’s multi-billion pound investment in railways across the country and we expect around £47.9 billion to be spent on the railway across control period 6. This funding includes more maintenance and a huge uplift in renewals to increase reliability and punctuality for passengers. The system of franchise competitions has played a significant role in encouraging growth in the rail industry. However, we want to ensure the rail system can continue to deliver benefits in to the future. That is why, on the 20th September, the Secretary of State announced a major review to transform Britain’s railways led by independent chair Keith Williams. Whilst the review is underway the Department will continue to work closely with industry to deliver improvements in reliability, alongside the record investment we are making in upgrading the rail network and delivering new trains and more seats across the UK. [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/railways-statement-of-funds-available-2017 https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-48-billion-funding-for-britains-railwayshttps://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/rail-infrastructure-funding-statement-of-funds-available-2019-to-2024

Railways: Noise

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to reduce noise pollution from (a) normal services and (b) maintenance work on railways in Coventry.

Joseph Johnson: Holding answer received on 26 October 2018



All new rail vehicles are required to meet strict noise limits before they are permitted to enter into normal service. These are governed the Technical Standards for Interoperability (TSIs). Network Rail are also undertaking a number of activities during the current control period (CP5), including rail profile grinding, resilient track supports and noise barriers, which have helped mitigate noise impacts during normal service. During maintenance work, each renewal or upgrade project undertaken by Network Rail must be in line with the Government’s rail noise action plan. These strategic action plans estimate people’s exposure to noise from road, rail and aviation. These plans will provide guidance to those responsible for tackling the noise on how best to do so. In particular they are aimed at those areas worst affected by transport noise.

Railways: Compensation

Kate Hollern: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department has taken to ensure that consumers are informed about the rail compensation scheme.

Joseph Johnson: Holding answer received on 26 October 2018



The Department is working with the Office of Rail and Road, and with the rail industry to promote better awareness of Delay Repay and other compensation schemes. We are mandating increased use of technology to inform passengers pro-actively that they are entitled to claim, using Apps, social media and onboard announcements. The introduction of simple and speedy ‘one-click’ automated claims systems, available via smartphones and smartcard registration, forms part of stronger obligations for future train operators under UK government-awarded franchises, ensuring that passengers are more aware than ever of their right to compensation. Northern and TransPennine Express (TPE) are required by the Department in the terms of their franchise agreement to ‘use all reasonable endeavours to make passengers aware of their right to claim compensation’ and the Department has been clear to these TOCs that this applies to the special compensation scheme that was introduced on affected routes on Northern and TPE following the May timetabling disruption, as well as to Delay Repay compensation.

Transport: Infrastructure

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that local authorities which have major ports have undertaken risk assessments of the potential effect of additional customs checks on the surrounding transport infrastructure after the UK leaves the EU; and what steps he is taking to ensure that those local authorities are developing plans to avoid or reduce possible disruption.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what (a) projects designed to increase capacity on motorways to tackle potential delays at ports and customs terminals have started and (b) other UK road network projects are planned in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal; and what the estimated cost is of those projects.

Chris Grayling: The Government expects to reach a deal with the EU which will avoid any such eventuality. But as a responsible Government we have to consider all eventualities, and are working to ensure that, should no deal be achieved, additional UK customs checks do not take place at the frontier, and so do not result in disruption to surrounding transport infrastructure. The possibility, that checks required by the EU in Member States might have such an effect, is being considered where appropriate by Local Resilience Fora (LRFs), with the ports themselves closely involved; and by the Devolved Administrations in relation to ports in their territories.Specifically in relation to the short Strait crossings from Dover and through the Channel Tunnel, we announced in May the development of Operation Brock which, in the event of serious disruption to those routes from whatever cause, will ensure that the M20 will be kept open and traffic will continue to flow in both directions. Operation Brock consists of three phases, a contraflow queuing system on the M20, a holding areas at Manston Airport and, if necessary, a holding area on the M26. The Department is working closely with the Kent Resilience Form, the Port of Dover, Eurotunnel and other associated bodies. The contraflow queuing system on the M20 will cost about £30 million to build and operate and would be used for all disruption events including those seen in 2015. The works required for the M26 are within the region of £5 million.

Aviation: Egypt

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment the Government has made of the circumstances required to lift the ban on UK flights to Sharm El Sheikh airport in Egypt.

Jesse Norman: The security of British nationals is the Governments top priority. The UK took the decision to suspend flights from Sharm el Sheikh in November 2015 following the Metro Jet attack to protect the travelling public. The UK Government continues to work closely with its Egyptian counterparts, sharing expertise in establishing effective security arrangements at all Egyptian airports including Sharm el-Sheikh. It is for each country to define what security requirements they need to protect their citizens. However, it is long standing government policy not to comment in detail on security matters. We look forward to achieving the return of flights once we can be assured that the necessary security requirements can be sustained.

Bus Services: North West

Ms Angela Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the number of bus journeys made in (a) the North West, (b) Mesrseyside, (c) Wirral and (d) Wallasey constituency in each year since 2010.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The table below shows the number of bus passenger journeys in each year since 2009/10 for the North West and Merseyside. In 2016/17, 408.5 million passenger journeys were made by local bus in the North West. In Merseyside ITA, there were 105.3 million bus passenger journeys made by local bus in 2016/17. Figures for Wirral and Wallasey constituency are not held.Passenger journeys on local bus services for the North West and Merseyside ITA, from 2009/10YearNorth WestMerseyside ITA2009/10463.9112.72010/11457.0110.82011/12439.5110.12012/13434.5109.22013/14434.1103.62014/15426.9103.02015/16413.1102.02016/17408.5105.3Source: DfT Local bus passenger journeys, BUS0109a

Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the cost of processing a single road tax renewal application and payment.

Jesse Norman: The current cost of processing a vehicle excise duty renewal application and payment is £1.10.This information is published on the GOV.UK website at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/performance/vehicle-tax

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Universal Credit

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what estimate he has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of staff employed by his Department who are in receipt of universal credit; and if he will make a statement.

Richard Harrington: The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy does not hold information on the number of staff employed by the Department who are in receipt of Universal Credit.

Small Businesses: Regulation

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many regulations made by his Department are applicable to SMEs.

Kelly Tolhurst: All BEIS policies are assessed for their relevance to, and impact on, SMEs as part of good policymaking. This includes consideration of exemptions for small and micro businesses. All BEIS legislation is published on legislation.gov.uk.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Contracts

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the average hourly pay is of staff employed by companies subcontracted by his Department.

Richard Harrington: Holding answer received on 29 October 2018



The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy does not hold records on the staff employed by companies subcontracted for the provision of services.

Manufacturing Industries: Imports

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the average length of time it takes components for just-in time manufacturing to reach the UK from (a) Eastern Europe and (b) China; and what proportion of that time is taken at the port of entry.

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of just-in time manufacturing on traffic (a) congestion and (b) accidents on roads between ports and factories.

Richard Harrington: Holding answer received on 29 October 2018



No assessment has been made. Both the UK and the EU share a strong commercial interest in preserving integrated supply chains, including those that support just-in-time production across the entire manufacturing sector. The Government has produced Technical Notices to help businesses, citizens and consumers to prepare for March 2019 in the event of a no-deal scenario. Our objective is to minimise disruption by taking unilateral action to prioritise continuity and stability.

Mike Ashley

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will make an assessment of whether Mike Ashley has met the commitments on employments practices he gave to the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Select Committee in June 2016.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Government has already set out the results of enforcement action taken against Sports Direct. We expect employers to meet the legal obligations and have demonstrated that we will act accordingly when they do not do so.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Diplomatic Service: Official Cars

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many cars owned by his Department there are at the British Embassy in (a) Paris, (b) Nairobi and (c) Riyadh.

Sir Alan Duncan: (a) The FCO owns 7 vehicles for use at the British Embassy in Paris.(b) The FCO owns 67 vehicles for use by a number of government departments at the British High Commission in Nairobi. These form a transport pool, used by staff from all departments (including the FCO, DfID and DIT) who have signed up to and paid to use the vehicles. A number of these are technical works vehicles used for the secure transportation of building maintenance equipment and water delivery.(c) The FCO owns 23 vehicles for use at the British Embassy in Riyadh.

Burma: Hate Crime

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to tackle incidences of hate speech in Burma.

Mark Field: ​The Government continues to be deeply concerned by the incidence of hate speech in Burma. Our Ambassador discussed the impact of social media on intercommunal relations and the necessity of interfaith dialogues in his meeting with the Minister for Religious Affairs on 9 August. The Embassy continues to work with local partners in Burma to tackle this issue.The UK, working with EU partners and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, secured a UN Human Rights Council Resolution on 27 September that sets out the steps the Government of Burma should take to address the spread of discrimination and prejudice and to combat the incitement to hatred against the Rohingya muslims and other minorities, by publicly condemning such acts and enacting necessary anti-hate speech laws.

Burma: Religious Freedom

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of freedom of religion or belief in Burma.

Mark Field: The British Government continues to be concerned about restrictions on freedom of religion and belief in Burma. Our Ambassador met the Burmese Minister for Religious Affairs on 9 August, and underlined the importance of interfaith dialogues. The UK, working with EU partners and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, secured a UN Human Rights Council Resolution on 27 September that called for the amending or repealing of the discriminatory provisions of the set of "protection of race and religion laws" in Burma enacted in 2015 covering religious conversion, interfaith marriage, monogamy and population control.

Burma: Churches

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his counterpart in the Government of Burma on the (a) destruction and (b) damage of churches by the military in Kachin State since 2011.

Mark Field: The UK has not recently made specific representations to the Government of Burma about destruction and damage of churches in Kachin State. I raised the UK's concerns about recent military conduct in Kachin and Shan states and about reports that Christians in Kachin were being persecuted in his meeting with the Burmese Ambassador on 11 July. The UK, working with EU partners and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, secured a UN Human Rights Council Resolution on 27 September calling for an immediate cessation of fighting and hostilities, of targeting civilians, and of all violations and abuses of international human rights law and international humanitarian law in northern Burma.

Burma: Refugees

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with UN officials on the status of Chin refugees.

Mark Field: ​Since August 2018 UK officials have consulted the Burma office of the High Commissioner for Refugees, and the UNHCR office in Geneva for clarification on the needs assessment process for Chin refugees residing in other countries, and UNHCR's proposed process for ensuring their safe return to Burma. The UK will continue to monitor this process in line with our objective to ensuring the safety all those displaced by violence in Burma and a safe return process for all groups forced to flee to other countries.

Yemen: Military Intervention

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent estimate he has made of the number of civilian deaths in Yemen that were caused by (a) weapons and (b) aircraft that were manufactured in the UK.

Alistair Burt: We assess all export licence applications on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria. The British Government does not have information on which weapons have been used for specific air strikes. The UK is not a member of the Saudi-Led Coalition and we do not have any role in setting Coalition policy, or executing air strikes in Yemen.The UK will not issue an export licence to Saudi Arabia, or any other country, if we assess there is a clear risk the items might be used in the commission of a serious violation of International Humanitarian Law. We keep the situation in Yemen under constant review, and will suspend or revoke licences if the circumstances required.

Members: Correspondence

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when his Department plans to respond to the letter of 12 October 2018 from the hon. Member for Glasgow Central addressed to the Rt Hon Mark Field MP, Minister of State, on the matter of a constituent, Ali Soofi.

Mark Field: ​A response was sent on 25 October, 11 working days before the 20 day target as published in the Cabinet Office annual correspondence report.

Jamal Khashoggi

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the accuracy of the statements made by the Saudi Government that (a) the murder of Mr Jamal Khashoggi was a rogue mission and not state-sponsored and (b) the Saudi Government is are taking effective action in relation to that murder.

Alistair Burt: There remains an urgent need for clarification of exactly what happened on 2 October and thereafter. The Prime Minister made this point when she spoke to King Salman of Saudi Arabia on 24 October.The UK has made clear that Saudi Arabia must cooperate with Turkey and conduct a full and credible investigation. We ask for both the Turkish and Saudi investigations to be carried out thoroughly until responsibilities are clearly established and that there is proper accountability and due process for any crimes committed.

GCHQ

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with GCHQ and Cabinet colleagues on GCHQ's (a) current operations and (b) level of cooperation with the police and intelligence services of (i) the US and (ii) other EU member states.

Sir Alan Duncan: It is the longstanding policy of successive British Governments not to comment on the detail of intelligence operations. The work of our intelligence agencies is essential for our national security and we will continue to cooperate with the US and EU partners.

Burma: War Crimes

Carol Monaghan: Whether he plans to support sanctions on the leaders of the Myanmar armed forces and Government as a result of alleged recent war crimes in that country.

Mark Field: The Foreign Secretary visited Burma in September, including Rakhine. The situation is grave. He met Aung San Suu Kyi and told her clear accountability for those responsible for atrocities was critical. The UK initiated the EU’s new sanctions on seven military commanders and a strengthened arms embargo. The Foreign Secretary told the Foreign Affairs Council we would likely need to take further action in response to the UN Fact Finding Mission report. We are now discussing options for further EU sanctions with member states, including whether to sanction the Commander-in-Chief and his Deputy.

Ukraine: Politics and Government

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: What discussions he has had with his Ukrainian counterpart on the political and security situation in eastern Ukraine; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Alan Duncan: Russian aggression continues to destabilise the political and security situation in eastern Ukraine. On 15 October, the Foreign Secretary reaffirmed to Foreign Minister Klimkin our commitment to support Ukraine, including through Operation Orbital. They also discussed militarisation in the Sea of Azov, and the detention of Ukrainian political prisoners held illegally by Russia.

Antarctic: Marine Protected Areas

Alex Sobel: What recent progress has been made in securing support for a marine protected area in the Weddell Sea.

Sir Alan Duncan: The UK is a co-proponent and keen advocate of this proposal, currently under discussion at the annual meeting of the Commission responsible for conserving the Southern Ocean. There is strong support for the marine protected area and the UK delegation is working hard with those countries who have concerns.

Tunisia: Foreign Relations

Damien Moore: What recent discussions he has had with his Tunisian counterpart on that country’s diplomatic and economic relationship with the UK.

Alistair Burt: I met the Tunisian Prime Minister in June, during my visit for our annual UK-Tunisia Bilateral Forum. We agreed on a vision for a new economic partnership and co-operation on security and education. The secretary of State for International Development met the Tunisian Prime Minister and her counterpart in August.

Israel: Demolition

Brendan O'Hara: What recent representations he has made to his Israeli counterpart on communities threatened by demolition and forcible transfer in the West Bank.

Alistair Burt: I raised demolitions with the Israeli Ambassador to the UK on 11 October; in particular urging Israel to reconsider plans to demolish the village of Khan al-Ahmar. Our Ambassador to Israel raised the proposed demolition with the Israeli authorities on 3 October. We remain gravely concerned by these proposals and will continue to raise our concerns with the Israeli authorities.

Cameroon: Diplomatic Relations

Bob Stewart: What diplomatic support his Department provides to the English-speaking community in Cameroon.

Harriett Baldwin: I remain deeply concerned about the deteriorating situation in the Anglophone regions of Cameroon, which continue to suffer from high levels of violence and human rights abuses perpetrated by both security forces and armed separatists. I have pressed Cameroonian Ministers to take concrete steps and to work to rebuild confidence and trust between all parties.

Sri Lanka: Human Rights

Gareth Thomas: What recent steps he has taken to promote human rights in Sri Lanka.

Mark Field: I am concerned by the developing political situation in Sri Lanka. I have called on all parties to ensure that the constitution is respected and due political and legal process upheld. The UK urges the President, in consultation with the Speaker, to reconvene parliament immediately to give the democratically elected representatives of the Sri Lankan people their voice. We shall also continue to urge Sri Lanka to implement fully the commitments it has willingly made to the UN Human Rights Council.

EU Countries: Brexit

Mike Amesbury: Whether he has made a recent assessment of the effectiveness of the processes for enabling member states to leave the EU.

Sir Alan Duncan: We remain committed to following the Article 50 process enabling Member States to leave the EU. We are continuing to work closely with the Commission in Brussels to achieve this. We have made real progress in on-going negotiations. We believe it is in the interests of both sides to strike a deal.

Burma: Politics and Government

Nick Thomas-Symonds: What recent assessment he has made of the political and security situation in Myanmar.

Mark Field: The Foreign Secretary visited Burma in September, including Rakhine. The situation is grave. He met Aung San Suu Kyi and told her clear accountability for those responsible for atrocities was critical. The UK initiated the EU’s new sanctions on seven military commanders and a strengthened arms embargo. The Foreign Secretary told the Foreign Affairs Council we would likely need to take further action in response to the UN Fact Finding Mission report. We are now discussing options for further EU sanctions with member states, including whether to sanction the Commander-in-Chief and his Deputy.

Cabinet Office

Cybercrime

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the National Cyber Security Centre holds data on the geographical origin of the 1,100 cyber attacks against the UK which the centre successfully countered.

Mr David Lidington: Of the 1,100 cyber incidents managed by the NCSC, the majority were perpetrated from within nation states in some way hostile to the UK, undertaken by groups of computer hackers directed, sponsored or tolerated by the governments of those countries. For operational reasons, we are unable to provide further detail.

Foreign Investment in UK: Infrastructure

Jo Platt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to the Foreign involvement in the Critical National Infrastructure - the implications for national security, published by the Intelligence and Security Committee in 2013,  what steps the Government has taken to ensure that it has adequate powers to intervene in cases of foreign investment in critical national infrastructure.

Mr David Lidington: The UK benefits substantially from open trade and inward investment and is one of the foremost destinations of inward investment in the world. However, it is important that the Government considers any national security implications arising from foreign investment, such as those set out in the 2013 Intelligence and Security Committee report, ‘Foreign Involvement in the Critical National Infrastructure – the Implications of National Security’. The Government is therefore taking steps to ensure it has adequate powers to mitigate risks that may arise from such investments. In particular, the ‘National Security and Investment’ White Paper, published for consultation on 24 July 2018, sets out how the Government proposes to reform its powers in the long term to protect national security from potential adversaries using ownership or significant influence or control over businesses in ways that harm UK national security. Consultation on the White Paper closed on 16 October and the Government will announce next steps in due course. In the short term, on 11 June 2018 the Government amended the Enterprise Act 2002 to introduce measures enabling Ministers to scrutinise mergers in the economy on national security grounds that previously fell outside the scope of the Act. These measures amended the thresholds for the turnover and share of supply tests within the Enterprise Act for military and dual use technologies, quantum technology, and computing hardware.

Electronic Government: Proof of Identity

Jo Platt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the average cost is per user to verify an individual's identity on Gov.UK verify.

Oliver Dowden: Digital identity accounts are created by the private sector identity providers. The cost of verification can vary due to a number of factors such as the types of documentation a user is able to provide. Each of the identity providers operates their own business processes to meet the necessary identity standards, and the providers will experience differing associated costs.

Government Departments: Amazon

Jo Platt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how much the Government spent with Amazon Web Services in the last 12 months.

Mr David Lidington: Since January 2011, details of central government contracts above the value of £10,000 are published on Contracts Finder at the following link:https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Search

Department of Health and Social Care

Postnatal Care

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 17 May 2018 to Question 142448 on Postnatal Care, whether the General Medical Services contract sets out that GPs must provide the (a) six week postnatal check for new mothers and (b) six to eight week check for babies.

Steve Brine: A six-week postnatal check for all mothers and a six to eight-week check for all babies are not currently specified in the General Medical Services contract as something which general practitioners are required to provide. However, we have asked for the six-week maternal postnatal check, as recommended by the National Childbirth Trust, to be considered in the general practice contract negotiations for 2019/20.

Rare Diseases: Medical Treatments

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to assess the effect of NICE’s Highly Specialised Technologies process on patients in the UK with rare diseases.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the (a) criteria used for and (b) long term data collection requirement of the highly specialised technologies process.

Steve Brine: To date, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended all eight medicines that it has evaluated through its highly specialised technologies (HST) programme for some or all of the eligible patient population, in most cases subject to managed access agreements that specify clinical criteria and data collection requirements. National Health Service organisations are legally required to fund medicines recommended in NICE’s HST guidance, and patients with the rare diseases concerned are now benefitting from access to the medicines in line with NICE’s recommendations.

Rare Diseases: Medical Treatments

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether treatments for rare diseases approved under the Highly Specialised Technologies (HST) process would have been rejected under the new criteria introduced for the HST process in 2017.

Steve Brine: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has advised that prior to the revised methods for the development of highly specialised technology (HST) evaluation guidance being introduced in 2017, the HST programme did not have a cost-effectiveness framework to inform the consideration of value for money. Therefore it is not possible to confirm if those technologies that were evaluated before April 2017 would have been recommended under the new methods, because the key elements of the new methods were not established and were not considered by the committee in the context of the many other factors taken into account in the decision-making.

Health Services: Finance

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many successful applications there have been (a) to NHS England’s individual funding requests for specialised services and (b) through the clinically critically urgent criteria process since January 2018.

Steve Brine: The number of successful individual funding requests since January 2018 is less than 10, and the true figure has been withheld to protect patient confidentiality. The critically urgent criteria process and decision making ceased on publication of the Specialised Commissioning Service Development Policy, which was published by NHS England on 12 September 2017.

Pre-eclampsia

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many women have been diagnosed with pre-eclampsia in in each of the last five years.

Matt Hancock: Pre-eclampsia is not centrally recorded by the number of women who receive diagnosis.

Prostate Cancer: Radiotherapy

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to improve the provision of prostate radiotherapy in the NHS for patients with advanced prostate cancer.

Steve Brine: NHS England is aware of newly published research data (STAMPEDE trial) published in the Lancet in October 2018. The article provides the results of the study which identifies a subgroup of prostate cancer patients with a newly diagnosed metastatic prostate cancer and with a low metastatic burden that may benefit from treatment using radiotherapy. NHS England has received a policy proposition proposal to develop a clinical commissioning policy for this treatment and a policy working group will be established to take this forward. The Lancet article is available at the following link: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(18)32486-3/fulltext

Diabetes: Males

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to tackle the effects of type 2 diabetes in men.

Steve Brine: NHS England has committed to delivering the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme to up to 100,000 people per year, from 2020, supporting those at high risk of type 2 diabetes to reduce their risk through attending a lifestyle programme. The programme supports individuals in achieving a healthy weight, improving quality of nutrition and increasing physical activity. In 2017/18 the Programme also focused on pump-priming investment by local services to deliver evidence based interventions for people living with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Whilst this programme is not targeting men specifically, local health economies have been required to consider current local inequalities when delivering services and there are signs that both of these workstreams are achieving positive outcomes for men. In order to achieve this, NHS England has invested approximately £10 million per annum over financial years 2017/18 and 2018/19 for the development of hospital multidisciplinary diabetic foot services where they do not exist in England, and to expand capacity in pre-existing services where additional capacity is required. This has resulted in investment in 41 multidisciplinary diabetic foot services nationally, representing 137 additional staff. The investment forms part of a wider programme to improve the outcomes of men and women with diabetes. This investment will keep improving outcomes for men who are also at significantly higher risk of developing diabetic foot disease.

Diabetes: Males

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to develop targeted public health messaging on diabetes to improve men's health.

Steve Brine: In March 2016, Public Health England (PHE) launched One You, a campaign targeted at men and women (40-60) to encourage them to make healthy changes such as increasing physical activity, improving diet, stopping smoking and reducing alcohol consumption in order to reduce the risk of conditions such as diabetes. The One You diabetes page can be viewed at the following link: https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/for-your-body/diabetes/ Additionally, PHE’s Change4Life campaign encourages families across England to “eat well, move more, live longer”. Type 2 diabetes is highlighted in the campaign as a potential health consequence of poor diet and inactivity. Tools and resources are available on the Change4Life website to encourage behaviour change, available to view at the following link: https://www.nhs.uk/change4life/

Suicide: Males

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps the Government is taking to reduce the rate of male suicide.

Matt Hancock: The Prime Minister announced a Suicide Prevention Minister on 10 October who will work across national and local government to reduce suicides and drive implementation of the Cross-Government National Suicide Prevention Strategy. The National Strategy highlights men, and especially middle-aged and young men, as a group at high risk of suicide. We have set out in suicide prevention planning guidance to local authorities that their suicide prevention plans should prioritise suicide reduction in men. Every local authority has a suicide prevention plan in place or in development. We are also investing £25 million in suicide prevention over the next three years, and in May we announced the first local sustainability and transformation partnership (STP) areas that are receiving some of this funding. The Department has worked with NHS England and Public Health England to ensure that STP areas prioritise approaches to reaching men in local communities to support the implementation of local suicide prevention plans. The Department engages with a wide range of organisations and stakeholders that focus on good mental health and wellbeing and suicide risk in men to support and promote their activities. These include projects such as Mens’ Sheds, State of Mind Sport, CALM (Campaign Against Living Miserably) and the Sport and Recreation Alliance Mental Health Charter. The suicide rate in England has reduced for the third consecutive year, and in men for the fourth consecutive year, and is now at its second lowest recorded level.

Heart Diseases: Transplant Surgery

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support the use of heart in a box technology.

Matt Hancock: NHS Blood and Transplant, as the organ donation organisation for the United Kingdom, is supporting National Health Service hospitals’ research into perfusion technology and how it can enable more organs to be used for transplantation. The National Institute for Health Research welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health and the Office for Life Sciences and NHS England advertise initiatives that support the uptake of innovations.

Vaccination

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the time being taken to supply and provide the (a) flu and (b) pneumonia vaccine for those eligible for free vaccinations; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: General practices (GPs) and pharmacies are responsible for procuring seasonal flu vaccines and pneumococcal vaccine (PPV) for eligible adults aged 18 years and over directly from the manufacturers/suppliers for the populations they serve. Delivery dates for the flu vaccines are arranged directly between the supplier and the practice. The adjuvanted trivalent flu vaccine (aTIV) is recommended for those aged 65 and over. Delivery of the aTIV has had to be phased and all GP practices and community pharmacies will receive their supplies in three deliveries in September, October and November. This is a specific arrangement for 2018-19 to allow effective supply of the vaccine. The majority of vaccinations are usually given between the vaccine becoming available in September and December. Public Health England (PHE) provides flu vaccines centrally for the children’s flu programme. Centrally purchased flu vaccines are carefully monitored by PHE to ensure there is equal distribution across England and sufficient in-date vaccine for patients who present throughout the season. Vaccines usually become available for them to order in late September. Providers aim to complete the children’s programme before Christmas. Due to supply constraints from the only manufacturer of the PPV vaccine in the United Kingdom, there has been a temporary shortage of the 23-valent Pneumococcal Polysaccharides Vaccine (PPV23) across the UK. Patients should be invited for this vaccination when they become eligible.

Mental Health Services

Mr George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to monitor the (a) effectiveness and (b) compliance of complex community and mental health contracts.

Matt Hancock: Mental health services, including in the community, are commissioned by clinical commissioning groups (CCGs). It is for CCGs, supported by Commissioning Support Units, to decide which organisations they commission community mental health services from and to decide the detailed local content of their contracts with those providers (including service specifications and local quality standards). CCGs are responsible for monitoring the performance of each provider, in terms of safety, quality, outcomes and value for money. NHS England does not hold a register of all the healthcare contracts entered into by CCGs or monitor them.

Mental Illness: Harlow

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what information his Department holds on the number of adults in the constituency of Harlow who are currently diagnose with a mental health illness.

Robert Halfon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many children in the constituency of Harlow are currently diagnosed with a mental health illness.

Matt Hancock: The information is not available in the format requested.

Mental Illness: Parents

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his Department's guidelines are for clinicians assessing patients with mental health problems who also have parental responsibilities.

Matt Hancock: Clinical guidance for the National Health Service is published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). NICE has published guidance on antenatal and postnatal mental health which is available at the following link: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/cg192 NICE does not have any additional guidance that specifically addresses people with mental health conditions who also have parental responsibilities.

Health Professions: Training

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on delivering the commitment made in the NHS Forward View to create sufficient capacity to transform services of underspending on workforce development by Health Education England.

Stephen Barclay: As set out in the Five Year Forward View, employers are responsible for ensuring they have sufficient staff with the right skills to care for their patients. Recognising the importance of the development and training of the existing workforce, the Department is working with Health Education England, NHS Improvement and NHS England to consider the approach to and funding of continuing professional development.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people had COPD conditions in each year from 2007 to 2017.

Steve Brine: The information requested is shown in the following table: The number of people registered at a general practitioner practice who had a diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) at 31 March between 2006-07 and 2017-18 in England.YearRegister2017-181,113,4172016-171,087,9082015-161,066,4712014-151,034,5782013-141,004,9202012-13974,9992011-12938,5112010-11898,9892009-10861,3412008-09834,3122007-08799,7722006-07765,806 Notes:All data above is taken from Quality Outcomes Framework publications.Figures are correct at March 31 of year. i.e. 2017-18 data is correct as at 31 March 2018.Register is defined as the number of people registered with a general practitioner with a diagnosis of COPD.It should be noted that a single patient may appear in the figures for multiple years as the list of those with a diagnosis not those with a new diagnosis, therefore the figures cannot be summed to get the total number of people diagnosed between 2006-07 and 2017-18. The National Health Service has acted to improve the rate of diagnosis and quality of care of those with COPD through:- the introduction of guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to help more people benefit from earlier diagnosis and treatment;- the National COPD Audit Programme led by the Royal College of Physicians;- the publication of NHS England’s RightCare optimal pathway for COPD; and- national respiratory symptom awareness campaigns run by Public Health England.

Genito-urinary Medicine: Finance

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding his Department has allocated to sexual health services in each of the last eight years.

Steve Brine: Funding for sexual and reproductive health and HIV services is allocated through local authorities, clinical commissioning groups and NHS England. No central assessment has been made of the total funding allocated in any of the last eight years.

Syphilis

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of diagnoses of syphilis in (a) England, (b) Yorkshire and Humber and (c) Kingston Upon Hull in each of the last eight years.

Steve Brine: Public Health England routinely collects data on sexually transmitted infections diagnoses, testing and other sexual health related services. In England, the number of syphilis diagnoses in the last eight years was 2,646 in 2010; 2,927 in 2011; 3,014 in 2012; 3,344 in 2013; 4,448 in 2014; 5,322 in 2015; 5,955 in 2016 and 7,137 in 2017. In Yorkshire and Humber, the number of syphilis diagnoses in the last five years was 213 in 2013; 204 in 2014; 203 in 2015; 376 in 2016 and 417 in 2017. Data are not available before 2013. In Kingston upon Hull, the number of syphilis diagnoses in the last six years was 8 in 2012; 24 in 2013; 7 in 2014; 10 in 2015; 11 in 2016 and 23 in 2017. Data are not available before 2012.

Influenza: Vaccination

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to tackle shortages of aTIV, the recommended flu vaccine for over-65s at (a) GP practices, (b) pharmacies and (c) other health service providers.

Steve Brine: There is not an overall shortage of the adjuvanted trivalent flu (aTIV) for the season. To enable adequate supply of the aTIV to be available in 2018-19, deliveries have had to be phased and this means that patients may need to wait a few weeks to get vaccination. All general practice and pharmacies in the United Kingdom will have the delivery of their orders phased across three months; 40% in September, 20% in October and 40% in November. This is a specific arrangement for 2018-19 to allow effective supply of the vaccine.

Influenza: Vaccination

Bridget Phillipson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with NHS England on the shortages of aTIV, the recommended flu vaccine for over-65s.

Steve Brine: The Secretary of State has met with NHS England to discuss the phased delivery of the adjuvanted trivalent influenza vaccine. Deliveries of the vaccine are being phased between September and November. By mid-November we expect that all doses will be delivered to general practitioner practices, pharmacies and other providers.

Smoking: Health Services

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the total cost per patient of smoking cessation in terms of the (a) medication and (b) staff time involved in the dispensing of such products in the last year for which information is available.

Steve Brine: This information is not collected in the format requested.

Smoking: Health Services

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the relative cost effectiveness of the smoking cessation treatments available on the NHS; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guideline NG92 provides a summary of the relative effectiveness of individual stop smoking medications (when used both with or without behavioural support), compared to effectiveness of no medication. This summary and accompanying guidance is available at the following link: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng92/evidence/b-interventions-to-aid-smoking-cessation-behavioural-support-and-pharmacotherapy-pdf-4788920847

Smoking: Health Services

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the smoking cessation treatments available through the NHS that are most effective at (a) three months, (b) six months and (c) one year after the patient initially stops smoking.

Steve Brine: This information is not available in the format requested.

Nicotine Patches

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate the number and proportion of people in receipt of nicotine replacement products dispensed via the NHS who have subsequently quit cigarettes for at least 3 months.

Steve Brine: This information is not available in the format requested.

Mental Health Services: Children and Young People

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to page 9 of the National Audit Office report Improving children and young people’s mental health services, what plans he is putting in place to monitor reliably workforce expansion in children and young people’s mental health services.

Matt Hancock: To track progress with implementation of the workforce plan, the Department has asked Health Education England (HEE) to develop a Mental Health Workforce Dashboard to monitor plans for the delivery of the workforce targets. This uses:- Data from Strategic Transformation Partnership regional plans (to monitor staff expansion plans);- NHS Digital data to track the size of the whole mental health workforce;- Data from NHS Improvement on staff retention rates; and- Data from HEE on the numbers of trainee staff currently studying and those undertaking specific courses for upskilling themselves to work in mental health.For the longer term a project is underway, led by the Department, to improve the way in which NHS Digital data captures changes in workforce numbers. We are hoping that this will enable more accurate reporting of actual staff changes from early next financial year.

Wales Office

Wales Office: Capita

Christian Matheson: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, which contracts awarded by his Department are operated by Capita.

Mims Davies: The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales has no contracts operated by Capita.

Wales Office: Migrant Workers

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, how many citizens of non-UK EU countries work in (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) its non-departmental public bodies.

Mims Davies: The Office of the Secretary of State for Wales is not an employer in its own right. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) provide employment services on our behalf. However, the MoJ does not collect data on the citizenship of MoJ employees as there is no requirement to record the nationality of staff employed by the Department.

Department for Education

Special Educational Needs: Dyslexia

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will make an assessment of the accuracy of the statement by Warwickshire County Council in its document, Teaching Children & Young People with Literacy Difficulties Practice Guidance February 2018, on advice to parents in relation to the status of dyslexia as a disability that is not fully recognised in UK law.

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the document entitled, Teaching Children & Young People with Literacy Difficulties Practice Guidance February 2018, published by Warwickshire County Council, if he will make an assessment of the effect on students with Dyslexia of not providing those students with special support except in extreme circumstances.

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to Warwickshire County Council’s practice guidance Teaching children and young people with literacy difficulties, published in February 2018, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his Department's policies on the definition of dyslexia used in assessments for the diagnosis and support of that condition.

Nadhim Zahawi: The department have not made any formal assessment of this report. We are continuing to improve standards on literacy and to support schools and parents on special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) including dyslexia. Schools are required under the Children and Families Act (2014) and the accompanying SEND Code of Practice to identify and address the special educational needs (SEN) of the pupils or students they support. Maintained schools are given notional SEN budgets and should use this to pay for support to children with dyslexia where required. Schools must use their best endeavours to make sure that a child with SEN gets the support they need - this means doing everything they can to meet children and young people’s SEN. The Equality Act (2010) is clear that a person (P) has a disability if - (a) P has a physical or mental impairment, and (b) the impairment has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on P's ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. All schools have duties under the Equality Act (2010) towards individual disabled children and young people.

Pupils: Protection

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of making schools publish their safeguarding policies online.

Nadhim Zahawi: ‘Keeping Children Safe in Education’ is statutory guidance to which all schools must have regard. The guidance is clear that all schools should have an effective child protection policy. The policy should be updated annually (as a minimum), and be available publicly either via the school website or by other means.

Children: Protection

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of including in the definition of children at risk of being exploited in the Working Together to Safeguard Children guide children and young people undergoing family breakdown.

Nadhim Zahawi: The ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’ guide already mentions the potential need for early help for children in a challenging family circumstance. In a section on ‘Identifying children and families who would benefit from early help’, the text includes: “Practitioners should, in particular, be alert to the potential need for early help for a child who…. is in a family circumstance presenting challenges for the child such as drug and alcohol misuse, adult mental health issues and domestic abuse.” A child undergoing family breakdown would potentially be in this group.

Children: Protection

Mrs Emma Lewell-Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of adding parental alienation to the definition of emotional abuse in the Working Together to Safeguard Children guide.

Nadhim Zahawi: We have not considered adding parental alienation to the definition of emotional abuse in ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’. The definitions of different forms of abuse in that guidance are not intended to be exhaustive.

Refugees: Students

Ruth Smeeth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what financial support his Department provides to (a) further education colleges and (b) sixth forms for enrolled refugee students.

Ruth Smeeth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to support (a) sixth forms and (b) further education colleges in the provision of education for refugees.

Anne Milton: Refugee students are eligible for funding, and they are funded on the same basis as all other 16 to 19 eligible students. The 16 to 19 funding arrangements for school and college places include an element of disadvantage funding. This element of the funding is for providers to attract, retain and support disadvantaged students and to support students with lower-level special educational needs and disabilities. Disadvantage funding is provided to institutions either for students with low prior attainment or for students who live in the most disadvantaged areas, and refugee students may attract this funding. In the 2018/19 academic year, we have allocated around £510 million to 16 to 19 institutions to provide extra support for disadvantaged students. In addition, the department provides a number of financial support programmes for economically disadvantaged 16 to 19 year olds. This support aims to help with the education-related costs associated with staying in post-16 education such as travel and course equipment. These programmes aim to enable 16 to 19 year olds to participate in education regardless of their financial situation. They are available to refugee students who meet the qualifying criteria for each scheme.

Teachers: Pensions

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 18 October 2018 to Question 179233, what estimate he has made of the cost to employers other than state-funded schools of increasing the employer contribution to the Teachers' Pension Scheme.

Angela Rayner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 18 October 2018 to Question 179233, whether he plans to provide funding to for-profit providers of independent special schools to meet their increased employer contributions to the Teachers' Pension Scheme.

Nick Gibb: Holding answer received on 29 October 2018



For 2019-20, the Department estimates that £1.1 billion more will need to be put into the Teachers’ Pension Scheme by employers to ensure teachers’ pensions remain generous and attractive to the profession. This is broken down as down as follows: £830 million from state-funded schools, £110 million from the Independent Sector, £80 million from Further Education Colleges and £80 million from affected Higher Education Institutions. It is the Government’s intention to fund independent special schools for the costs of increased employer contributions in 2019-20, as these schools often have pupils on education, health and care plans, which are local authority funded, but the Department will be consulting to seek views on this to understand the impact these costs will impose on the independent schools sector.

Private Education: Music

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to his Department's announcement of 24 October 2018, Record numbers learning instruments in class thanks to music hubs, whether the figure of 700,000 pupils includes pupils at independent schools.

Nick Gibb: The full figure of 711,241 refers to pupils in state funded schools and colleges, not independent schools. Music Education Hubs have four core roles: to ensure every child aged 5-18 is able to learn a musical instrument; to provide opportunities to play and perform from an early age; to ensure that clear progression routes are available and affordable; and to develop a singing strategy to ensure that every pupil sings regularly and that choirs and other vocal ensembles are available in the area. Between 2016-17 and 2019-20, the Government is providing £300 million for our network of music education hubs.

Confederation of School Trusts: Speeches

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 22 October 2018 to Question 180288 on Electronic Government: Confederation of School Trusts  if he will (a) place in the Library or (b) send to the hon. Member for Oxford West and Abingdon the redacted parts of that speech.

Nadhim Zahawi: I refer the hon. Member for Oxford West and Abingdon to the answer I gave on 29 October 2018 to Question 183519: https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2018-10-24/183519/.

Ministry of Justice

Birmingham Prison

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many staff from each prison establishment he plans to require to be deployed on detached duty at HMP Birmingham in each of the next six months.

Rory Stewart: HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) has, since 20 August, exercised its right under the contract to step in and take over the running of HMP Birmingham for an initial period of six months. The additional cost of the step-in action, including HMPPS staff, has yet to be finalised. However, it, together with any reduction in the price for cells taken out of operational use, will be recovered from G4S in accordance with the contract.The deployment of staff between prisons on Detached Duty (DD) is a regular and normal part of prison resourcing. DD allocation is only planned three months in advance and therefore it is not possible to provide data for the next six months. The number of Prison Officers deployed on DD also varies from one week to the next in order to reflect operational circumstances. Tables 1,2, and 3 shows the proposed number of staff deployed to HMP Birmingham from each prison. Table 1 Prison OfficersLittlehey2Bure2Dartmoor2Exeter1Guys Marsh2Coldingley1Lewes2Brinsford2Brixton3Isis2Pentonville1Wandsworth1Bullingdon1Erlestoke1Cardiff1Swansea1Berwyn1Send1Low Newton1Foston Hall2Lindholme1Hull1Leeds2Moorland1 Table 2 Custodial ManagersElmley2Stoke Heath1Bure1Stafford1 Table 3 Physical Education OfficersBure1Wakefield1Stoke Heath1

Prosecutions: Wales

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of defendants who have had legal proceedings brought against them in Wales in each year from 2013 and 2017.

Lucy Frazer: The Ministry of Justice has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Prosecutions: Wales

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of defendants who were prosecuted for indictable offences in Wales in each year from 2013 and 2017.

Lucy Frazer: The Ministry of Justice has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Alternatives to Prison: Wales

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many out of court disposals were issued in Wales in each year from 2013 and 2017.

Rory Stewart: The Ministry of Justice has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Alternatives to Prison: Wales

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of out of court disposals issued in Wales were in relation to (a) Community Resolutions, (b) Penalty Notices for Disorder, (c) cautions for indictable offences, (d) cannabis and khat warnings and (e) cautions for summary non-motoring offences in each year between 2013 and 2017.

Rory Stewart: The Ministry of Justice has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Fixed Penalties: Wales

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many Penalty Notices for Disorder were issued for each tier of offence in Wales in each year between 2013 and 2017.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of people issued with a Penalty Notice for Disorder in Wales paid their fines in full in each year between 2013 and 2017.

Rory Stewart: This information is available in the published out of court disposals data tool: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/733984/out-of-court-disposals-tool-2017-update.xlsx To limit the data to Wales, filter the data using Police Force Area and select Dyfed-Powys, Gwent, North Wales and South Wales. For the number of Penalty Notices for Disorder (PND) issued for each tier of offence open the PND pivot table, limit the data to Wales, remove the variables from the rows box and drag the ‘Offence’ variable from the filters box into the rows box. For the total number of lower tier offences, in the ‘Offence’ filter, select all the offences that begin with DB. For the total number of higher tier offences, repeat as above, selecting all offences beginning with DA. For the proportion of people who paid their PND in full, open the PND pivot table, limit the data to Wales and ensure the ‘Outcomes’ variable is in the rows box. For each year, sum the numbers for ‘paid in full - timing unknown’ and divide this number by the total PNDs issued (grand total).

Police Cautions: Wales

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were given a (a) simple and (b) conditional caution in Wales in each year between 2013 and 2017.

Rory Stewart: The Ministry of Justice has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Police Cautions: Wales

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many cautions were issued in Wales as a result of (a) violence against a person or persons, (b) sexual offences, (c) robbery, (d) theft offences, (e) criminal damage and arson, (f) drug offences, (g) possession of a weapon or weapons, (h) public order offences, (i) miscellaneous crimes against society, (j) fraud offences, (k) summary offences involving motoring and (l) summary offences not involving motoring in each year between 2013 and 2017.

Rory Stewart: The Ministry of Justice has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Prosecutions: Wales

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were prosecuted at magistrates’ courts in Wales for (a) violence against a person or persons, (b) sexual offences, (c) robbery, (d) theft offences, (e) criminal damage and arson, (f) drug offences, (g) possession of a weapon or weapons, (h) public order offences, (i) miscellaneous crimes against society, (j) fraud offences, (k) summary offences involving motoring, (l) summary offences not involving motoring and (m) indictable offences in each year between 2013 and 2017.

Lucy Frazer: The Ministry of Justice has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Prosecutions: Wales

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people prosecuted for triable either-way-offences had their case heard at a (a) magistrates court, (b) Crown Court and (c) other court in each year between 2013 and 2017.

Lucy Frazer: The Ministry of Justice has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Trials: Wales

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of cases of triable either-way-offences were heard in Wales in each year between 2013 and 2017.

Lucy Frazer: The Ministry of Justice has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Convictions: Wales

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were convicted of a crime in Wales in each year between 2013 and 2017.

Lucy Frazer: The Ministry of Justice has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Convictions: Wales

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people were convicted in Wales for (a) violence against a person or persons, (b) sexual offences, (c) robbery, (d) theft offences, (e) criminal damage and arson, (f) drug offences, (g) possession of a weapon or weapons, (h) public order offences, (i) miscellaneous crimes against society, (j) fraud offences, (k) summary offences involving motoring, (l) summary offences not involving motoring and (m) indictable offences in each year between 2013 and 2017.

Lucy Frazer: The Ministry of Justice has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Convictions: Wales

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of trials in Wales resulted in a conviction in each year between 2013 and 2017.

Lucy Frazer: The Ministry of Justice has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Prisons: Crimes of Violence and Self-harm

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference the report, Offender management statistics quarterly: April to June 2018, published by his Department on 25 October 2018, what assessment he has made of the factors that have contributed to the increase in recorded (a) assaults, (b) assaults on wardens, and (c) instances of self-harm in prisons.

Rory Stewart: The causes of self-harm and violence in prisons are complex. They include “imported factors”, such as the characteristics of the population coming into prison, and “custodial factors”, such as the nature of the prison environment and regime. The Government takes very seriously its responsibility to keep staff and prisoners safe, and we are committed to reducing the incidence of self-harm, suicide and violence across the estate. This is why we have established a prison safety programme through which we are taking forward a comprehensive set of actions to improve safety in custody. Our prison staff work incredibly hard and we are under no illusions about the challenges they face. Assaults on our staff will never be tolerated. That is why we are working with the Police and Crown Prosecution Service to ensure successful prosecutions of those who assault them. It is also why the Government supported the recently passed Assaults on Emergency Workers (Offences) Act, which increases sentences for those who attack emergency workers, including prison officers. We are taking further measures to protect our staff, including investing in 5,600 body-worn cameras and in rigid-bar handcuffs. Early next year we will begin to equip every prison officer in the adult male prison estate with PAVA incapacitant spray. PAVA can help to prevent serious harm to staff and prisoners alike, as well as being a tool to persuade prisoners in the act of violence to stop. But the key to this must be consistent management of prisoner behaviour with clear expectations.We have invested in over 3,000 additional staff in order to deliver consistent, purposeful regimes. We have also introduced the new key worker role, under which staff can give prisoners more effective challenge and support. We are taking action in a number of ways to identify and support prisoners at risk, including:rolling out revised and improved training for staff in assessing and managing the risk of suicide and self-harm amongst prisoners (this has already reached more than 17,000 staff);improving support for prisoners in their early days in custody;revising the ACCT case management process for those identified as being at risk; andrenewing our partnership with the Samaritans by confirming a further three years' grant funding for their valuable Listeners Scheme.

Reoffenders

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate his Department has made of the reoffending rate of people released to no fixed abode or insecure accommodation in each year since 2014.

Rory Stewart: The department has not made an estimate of the reoffending rate of people released to no fixed abode or insecure accommodation in each year since 2014. However, a 2012 study found those who were homeless or in temporary accommodation before prison were more likely to be reconvicted than those in stable accommodation (79% compared to 47%)  It is vital that everyone leaving prison has somewhere stable and secure to live. Having somewhere stable to live acts as a platform for ex-offenders to be able to access the services and support needed to turn their back on crime for good yet. Published statistics showing the accommodation status for all offenders released from custody and offenders on community sentences can be viewed here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/729062/accommodation-cirumstances-tables-2018.xlsx. As part of the Government initiative to reduce and ultimately eliminate rough sleeping across England, we will invest £6 million over two years in a pilot scheme to help ex-offenders into accommodation.  Furthermore, as of the 1st of October, Prisons and Probation providers will have a “Duty to Refer” anyone who is homeless or at risk of becoming homeless to the Local Authority. Following a referral, Local Authorities are then required to make an assessment, meaning offenders can receive meaningful housing assistance at an earlier stage irrespective of their priority need.

Civil Proceedings: Legal Aid Scheme

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of applicants that were successfully awarded civil legal aid in each quarter since 2012.

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of applicants that were successfully awarded criminal legal aid in each quarter since 2012.

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the real-term spending on legal aid in each year since 2010.

Lucy Frazer: Information is already publicly accessible via the Ministry of Justice’s published data for the Legal Aid Agency, which is available online at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/legal-aid-statistics-april-to-june-2018. Civil application data is recorded in tables 1.2, 5.1, 6.1 and 7.2, and criminal application data in 3.1 and 3.2 of ‘Legal aid statistics England and Wales tables April to June 2018’,   Please note that for civil ‘Controlled Work’ the application process is devolved to the provider, and therefore proportional figures do not exist for that scheme. Thus, the proportion of successful applications may only be calculated for civil representation using columns AB and BC of table 6.1. The Legal Aid Agency tracks volumes by application not by applicant, as one individual may receive legal aid on multiple occasions for different cases. Figures are therefore given on a ‘total number of applications’ basis. 183904  Information showing the Legal Aid Agency’s real-term spending on legal aid is already publicly available via published statistical data here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/legal-aid-statistics-april-to-june-2018Please select the second document listed: ‘Legal Aid statistics England and Wales tables April to June 2018’, and the information can be located on table 1.0 at columns L to O.

Mediation

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of mediation in the civil justice system in each year since 2012.

Lucy Frazer: Mediation in the civil justice system covers a wide range of activity. Civil mediation is voluntary and paid for by parties in the case, often before entering the court process. HMCTS operate a Small Claims Mediation Service. As a consequence, we do not hold the total cost to the public purse of mediation in the civil justice system.

Law Centres: Legal Aid Scheme

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of law centres that dispensed legal aid in each (a) quarter and (b) year since 2012.

Lucy Frazer: The attached table includes the number of law centres that dispensed legal aid in each (a) quarter and (b) year since 2012.



Table for PQ 183906
(Excel SpreadSheet, 13.49 KB)

Prisoners: Self-harm

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to page 5 of the September 2018 HM Prison and Probation Service report Self-harm by adult men in prison: A rapid evidence assessment, whether he plans to undertake additional research to explore protective factors among males who self-harm in prison.

Rory Stewart: We have commissioned additional research in response to the recommendations in this publication, including a study that involves interviewing male prisoners who have previously self-harmed in order to explore what they feel enabled them to stop. The Government takes very seriously its responsibility to keep prisoners safe, and we are committed to reducing the incidence of self-harm across the estate. This is why we have established a prison safety programme through which we are taking forward a comprehensive set of actions to improve safety in custody. We have invested in over 3,000 additional staff in order to deliver consistent, purposeful regimes. We have also introduced the new key worker role, under which staff can give prisoners more effective challenge and support. We are taking action in a number of ways to identify and support prisoners at risk, including::rolling out revised and improved training for staff in assessing and managing the risk of suicide and self-harm amongst prisoners (this has already reached more than 17,000 staff);improving support for prisoners in their early days in custody;revising the ACCT case management process for those identified as being at risk; andrenewing our partnership with the Samaritans by confirming a further three years' grant funding for their valuable Listeners Scheme.

Prisoners: Self-harm

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the September 2018 HM Prison and Probation Service report Self-harm by adult men in prison: A rapid evidence assessment, what assessment his Department has made of the reason why the rate of self-harm among male prisoners increased from 161 to 306 incidents per 1,000 prisoners between December 2006 and the end of 2015.

Rory Stewart: The causes of self-harm in prisons are complex. They include “imported factors”, such as the characteristics of the population coming into prison, and “custodial factors”, such as the nature of the prison environment and regime. The Government takes very seriously its responsibility to keep prisoners safe, and we are committed to reducing the incidence of self-harm across the estate. This is why we have established a prison safety programme through which we are taking forward a comprehensive set of actions to improve safety in custody. They include:investing in over 3,000 additional staff in order to deliver consistent, purposeful regimes;rolling out revised and improved training for staff in assessing and managing the risk of suicide and self-harm amongst prisoners (this has already reached more than 17,000 staff);improving support for prisoners in their early days in custody;revising the ACCT case management process for those identified as being at risk; andrenewing our partnership with the Samaritans by confirming a further three years' grant funding for their valuable Listeners Scheme.

Prison Officers: Training

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many band 3 prison officers have (a) commenced and (b) completed the training on safety in custody announced in February 2017.

Rory Stewart: By the end of June 2018 over 17,000 prison staff (of all grades) had begun the training and over 6,000 had completed all six modules. Regrettably, we are not able to provide the corresponding figures for band 3 prison officers, because our electronic recording system is not currently accessible while planned improvements are being made. I will write to the Hon Member as soon as these figures become available.

Department for International Trade

Department for International Trade: Staff

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 12 October 2018 to Question 177209 on Department for International Trade: Staff, if he will publish the information in relation to specialist staff by discipline.

George Hollingbery: The Department for International Trade publishes information on staff roles on GOV.UK.This information is published every six months and will be updated at the end of November with data as at 30th September 2018.

Overseas Trade: Saudi Arabia

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether the Government has entered into new trade discussions with the Saudi Arabian authorities since the murder of Jamal Khashoggi.

Graham Stuart: UK Ministers have not entered into any new trade discussions with Saudi Arabia since the 2nd October 2018.

Arms Trade: Qatar

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what human rights assessment the Government carried out in advance of its decision to provide the Government of Qatar with £4.5 billion of financing support for the export of Typhoon and Hawk aircraft and associated goods and services.

Graham Stuart: The UK operates one of the most thorough and robust export control systems in the world. The UK Government will not grant export licences where to do so would be inconsistent with the Consolidated EU and National Arms Exports Licensing Criteria, which include an assessment of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the country of final destination.

Arms Trade: Qatar

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to the letter sent to him on 20 June 2018 from Louis Taylor, the Chief Executive of UK Export Finance, what assessment he has made of the (a) level, (b) time horizon and (c) political nature of the risks involved in that transaction.

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, with reference to the letter of 20 June 2018 from the Chief Executive of UK Export Finance, what the size, time horizon and political nature are of the risks involved in the provision of financing to support the Government of Qatar in the export of Typhoon aircraft and associated equipment and services.

Graham Stuart: For UK Export Finance (UKEF) to provide financing support for the export of Typhoon and Hawk aircraft and associated goods and services to the Government of Qatar, the Department assessed the impact that the relative quantum of the transaction (around £4.5 billion concentrated in a single market) would have against UKEF’s portfolio and the transaction’s risk horizon of 12.5 years. The Department considered UKEF’s support to be in the national interest in deepening the UK and Qatar’s defence and security relationship. Additionally, the Secretary of State considered the industrial and economic benefits to the UK of the contract, for which UKEF’s support was critical to ensuring its success.

Arms Trade: Qatar

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether UK Export Finance support for the export of Typhoon and Hawk aircraft to the Government of Qatar will support British small businesses; and whether support through the Direct Lending Facility set aside for SMEs has been used in that transaction.

Graham Stuart: UK Export Finance’s (UKEF) support for the export of Typhoon and Hawk aircraft to Qatar supports BAES which has a supply chain of 9,000 companies, including small businesses. As the Direct Lending Facility is used to finance the purchase of capital goods and/or services, it is typically used by larger businesses and can also benefit the smaller businesses in their supply chains. UKEF has remaining capacity under its Direct Lending Facility. UKEF looks to where it is needed most and where it can have the greatest beneficial impact for UK exporters and their customers.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Capita

Christian Matheson: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, which contracts awarded by his Department are operated by Capita.

Jake Berry: The Department currently has no contracts with Capita.

Homelessness

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the Joseph Rowntree Foundation report, Providing personalised support to rough sleepers, what assessment he has made of the viability of personalised support and direct cash transfers as a policy to reduce homelessness and rough sleeping.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: We recognise the importance of providing personalised support and its role in helping people who are rough sleeping or have a history of doing so.As this is a devolved issue, MHCLG does not cover homelessness and housing policy in Wales and therefore, the following information relates only to England.In August, we announced funding for ‘navigators’ who will support individuals from their first contact with services through to settled accommodation and will be able to make use of personalised budgets where appropriate. We recently launched a prospectus for our Rapid Rehousing Pathway, which will include navigators and we expect early adopters to start delivering in early 2019.We are also funding seven Social Impact Bonds (SIBs) to work with long-term rough sleepers who have multiple complex needs towards positive accommodation, employment and health outcomes. The SIB model includes a personalised budget that can be flexibly used to best support individuals to maintain their accommodation and improve their wellbeing.

Tenancy Deposit Schemes

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the news release entitled Nationwide highlights lottery of experiences on private tenancy deposits - and calls for more pragmatic approach, published by Nationwide Building Society on 20 October, what plans his Department has to ensure that deposits are returned in an efficient and timely manner as a result of that organisation's finding that 18 per cent of tenants wait more than three months for deposit returns.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: Under the Housing Act 2004, all deposits taken with assured shorthold tenancies since 6 April 2007 must be protected in a Government-approved tenancy deposit scheme within 30 days. In the vast majority of cases the deposit can be returned promptly as the landlord and tenant are able to agree deductions from the deposit. Deposits should be returned within 10 days of the tenant requesting it if held in the insured scheme, and within 10 days of the landlord and tenant agreeing deductions in the custodial scheme. It can take longer if they cannot agree and need to use the free dispute resolutions services provided by the deposit schemes. Only 1.5 per cent of cases go to formal dispute. The YouGov survey referenced in the news release asked about the worst experience tenants had ever had and so is not representative of the normal experience for tenants.The current system works well but we are reviewing whether improvements can be made to the deposit protection model through the Tenancy Deposit Protection Working Group. Nationwide is a member of the Working Group which will look at the process at the end of tenancy and dispute resolution, as well as exploring whether deposit passporting can improve affordability by helping tenants who have to pay a deposit to their new landlord before they receive their current deposit back.

Right to Buy Scheme: Midlands

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will provide full details of the discount available to tenants under the Midlands Voluntary Right to Buy pilot.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many homes are (a) available to purchase under and (b) exempt from inclusion in the Midlands Voluntary Right to Buy pilot.

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many people have been successful in the ballot under theVoluntary Right to Buy pilot in the midlands; and how many of those successful applicants are living in exempt properties.

Kit Malthouse: The discounts available to tenants under the Voluntary Right to Buy are calculated in the same way as for the statutory Right to Buy. Discounts increase in line with the length of tenancy, up to a maximum discount of £80,900 or 70 per cent of the value of the property, whichever is the lower. Full details can be found on the Government’s website at https://righttobuy.gov.uk/what-discount-could-you-get/.Under the voluntary agreement between the Government and the National Housing Federation, housing associations have discretion as to which homes they will sell under the Voluntary Right to Buy. Associations taking part in the Midlands pilot have published their individual policies on their websites. The Government has not collected information on the total number of properties falling into each category.9,146 individuals entered the ballot for the Midlands pilot and 6,000 of these were given Unique Reference Numbers, enabling them to apply in full to their housing association. The Government has not collected information on how many of these tenants will be able to apply to buy the homesthat they are living in, and how many will be offered a portable discount, to buy an alternative housing association property. This information will be gathered as part of the Government’s full evaluation of the pilot that will follow its completion.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Recruitment

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the additional recruitment recorded in his Department's Exceptions to spending controls: recruitment, January to March 2018, published on 25 October 2018, what is the (a) additional annual cost of that recruitment and (b) division of additional staff between departmental directorates.

James Brokenshire: The information requested is not held centrally and could only be collated at disproportionate cost.

High Rise Flats: Insulation

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many privately owned residential tower blocks have suspect or condemned cladding in (a) the UK and (b) each constituency.

Kit Malthouse: We can confirm that as of 12 October 2018 there are 291 high-rise (over 18 metres) private sector residential buildings in England with Aluminium Composite Material (ACM) cladding systems unlikely to meet current Building Regulations guidance. Of these, 201 are private residential, 28 are hotels and 62 are student accommodation. We do not capture this data broken down by constituency. The relevant figures outside of England are a matter for the appropriate devolved administrations.

Community Assets

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of including football clubs in the list of assets of community value.

Jake Berry: It is for local authorities to determine if any building or land nominated by the local community meets the test of being an asset of community value. The scheme allows groups to nominate buildings or land for listing by their local authority if its principal use furthers their community’s social well-being. This can include cultural, sporting or recreational interests. Since the scheme was introduced in 2012, over 4,000 assets of community value have been listed across England. This includes over 30 football stadiums from across the football pyramid including St James Park.The scheme seeks to balance the rights of private property owners with the interests of the community where the local authority agrees that the asset in question is an asset of community value.

EU Grants and Loans

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what EU funding programmes that exist at the moment will be replicated after the UK leaves the EU by disbursements through the Shared Prosperity Fund.

Jake Berry: As per the manifesto commitment, following our departure from the European Union, we are creating the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), a programme of investment to tackle inequalities between communities by raising productivity, especially in those parts of the UK whose economies are furthest behind.In July, the Government published an update on the UKSPF in which we confirmed the Fund will operate in all four nations of the UK and will, of course, respect devolution settlements in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.The Government has been clear that we will engage the devolved administrations in advance of the public consultation intended for later this year, to ensure the Fund works for all places across the UK. Officials from HM Government and from each devolved administration have begun discussions and stakeholder events are being held across the UK, throughout the rest of this year.We are continuing discussions to develop the Fund and final decisions on the operation and allocations of the Fund will be made as part of the 2019 Spending Review.In the mean time, the Government understands that local authorities and places around the UK require certainty of funding post-Brexit. The draft Withdrawal Agreement guarantees that the UK will continue to take part in the 2014-2020 EU programmes until their conclusion. In a no deal scenario, the Government has extended this guarantee for the full EU 2014-20 programme period and allocations. This provides certainty and clarity in the event of a no-deal and allows for a smooth transition to a domestic replacement.

Ministry of Defence

International Military Services: Legal Costs and Pay

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of (a) legal fees and (b) directors’ emoluments in relation to IMS Ltd since that company ceased trading in July 1991.

Stuart Andrew: Holding answer received on 26 October 2018



There has been no cost to the public purse for legal fees or directors' emoluments since 1991. IMS operating costs have been met from accumulated profit from business activities and investment interest.

International Military Services: Expenditure

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much has been spent in relation to IMS Ltd since it ceased trading; and what steps he takes to monitor the reasonableness of those costs.

Stuart Andrew: Holding answer received on 26 October 2018



No public funds have been used to fund IMS operating activities. All IMS operating costs have been met from accumulated profit from business activities and investment interest.The Ministry of Defence maintains a close dialogue with IMS about its activities and expenditure and as the major shareholder reviews the accounts annually.

Shipbuilding: River Clyde

Stewart Malcolm McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Government plans to support the construction of a frigate factory on the River Clyde.

Stuart Andrew: Holding answer received on 26 October 2018



The previously proposed Modern Dock Hall, referred to colloquially as the 'Frigate Factory', was thoroughly investigated by BAE Systems but ultimately they concluded that the cost and level of associated risk did not represent value for money. The Ministry of Defence was consulted and agreed with their conclusion.The National Shipbuilding Strategy was clear that all Royal Navy warships will be built and integrated in the UK. The Type 26 frigates are being built on the Clyde, securing a total of 4,000 jobs across the UK supply chain and 20 years of work. Since 2010 this Government has invested more than £6 billion in shipbuilding in the UK, securing thousands of jobs. In 2018-19 we expect to spend in excess of £750 million supporting the fleet.

Afghanistan: Military Aid

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what military support the UK is providing to the Afghan army to combat ISIS in areas east of Kabul.

Mark Lancaster: The Afghan National Defence and Security Forces are in the lead for the security of the Afghan population, including tackling the threat posed by ISIS. The UK, as part of the non-combat NATO Resolute Support mission, is providing advisors to the Army, Police, Air Force and Security Ministries to help them become self-sufficient in managing security and preventing terrorist attacks against the Afghan people.

Afghanistan: Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to improve the performance of the foxhound armed vehicle in Afghanistan.

Stuart Andrew: There are no performance upgrades planned on Foxhound for its operational role, as it currently performs to the required standard and exceeds availability targets.

Ministry of Defence: Universal Credit

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of staff employed by his Department who are in receipt of universal credit; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The number and proportion of staff employed by the Ministry of Defence in receipt of universal credit is not held. The Department does not record or collate information on staff in receipt of universal credit as standard.

NATO: Warships

Martin Docherty-Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assets his Department has assigned to (a) Standing NATO Maritime Group 1, (b) Standing NATO Maritime Group 2, (c) Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 and (d) Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 2 since November 2015; and for how long each such asset was assigned.

Mark Lancaster: Since November 2015, the UK has assigned the following Naval assets to the Standing NATO Groups.Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1):The Type 23 Frigates HMS IRON DUKE (from January to July 2016) and HMS MONMOUTH (February 2016); and the Type 45 Destroyer HMS DUNCAN (October to December 2016).There was no assignment to SNMG1 in 2017.Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2):The Type 45 Destroyers HMS DUNCAN (from June to September 2017, and January to June 2018) and HMS DIAMOND (from September to October 2017); the Landing Platform Helicopter HMS OCEAN (from October to December 2017).From June 2017 until June 2018, the UK held the Command of the SNMG2 formation; these ships therefore acted as the Flagship for the NATO force.Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1:The Sandown-Class Minehunters HMS GRIMSBY (from November to December 2015, and August to December 2016); HMS RAMSEY (from January to April 2016, January to April 2017, and May to August 2018); HMS PEMBROKE (from April to June 2016); HMS SHOREHAM (from April until June 2017); and the Hunt-Class Minehunter HMS CATTISTOCK (from January until April 2018).Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 2 (SNMCMG2):The Sandown-Class Minehunter HMS PEMBROKE (from October to November 2017). From July 2017 until July 2018 the UK held the Command of the SNMCMG2 formation from the Survey Vessel Hydrographic and Oceanographic HMS ENTERPRISE.

RFA Tideforce

Martin Docherty-Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the cost to the public purse was of transporting (a) the Lady Sponsor and (b) accompanying guests to South Korea for the naming ceremony for RFA Tideforce on 24 January 2018.

Stuart Andrew: The total cost to the Ministry of Defence of the Lady Sponsor, Lady Messenger, travelling to the naming ceremony of Royal Fleet Auxiliary Tideforce on 24 January 2018 was £4,778.Costs of accommodation and transfers within the Republic of Korea were funded separately under the contract with Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering.

Reserve Forces: Recruitment

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many full-time Reserve soldiers are engaged full-time on recruitment tasks.

Mark Lancaster: There are 292 Full Time Reserve Soldiers engaged full-time on recruiting tasks, of which 256 are Regimental Sub-Unit Support Officers (RSUSOs) in the Field Army and 36 are employed within the Recruiting Group.RSUSOs provide the Reserve professional recruiting spine down to sub-unit level. They conduct recruiting activity for the sub-unit and nurture applicants through the recruiting pipeline. This includes supporting recruitment and engagement activity, face to face meetings with candidates, assistance with applications and support with preparation for basic training.Full Time Reserve Soldiers within Recruiting Group are employed in roles across the operation, including recruiting, engagement activity, assessment and staff support.

Armed Forces: Deployment

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, on how many occasions the Harmony guidelines have been broken for deployments for the (a) Army, (b) Navy, (c) RAF and (d) Royal Marines in each quarter since 2010.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Ministry of Defence publishes Quarterly Statistics on Separated Service (the proportion of personnel breaching harmony guidelines).A breach of individual harmony guidelines occurs when Service personnel experience separated service for longer than the period outlined in individual harmony guidelines, which are based on the structures and organisation of that Service. The guidelines are measured over a 36 month period and the limits are 660 days away for the Royal Navy/Royal Marines; 498 days for the Army; and 468 days away for the RAF.Top level statistics on Separated Service, by Service, from 1 April 2011 to 1 April 2018, can be found at Excel Table 10 of the UK Armed Forces Monthly Service Personnel Statistics, which can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/quarterly-service-personnel-statistics-2018.The Royal Marines figures are included in those for the Royal Navy. Harmony guidelines before 1 April 2014 were measured over different periods.

Army: Discharges

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people have left the Army service (a) voluntarily, (b) as a result of time expired and (c) for other reasons by regiment in each year from 2010.

Mark Lancaster: The tables below show Army outflow, detailed as ‘Voluntary’, ‘End of engagement’ and ‘Other reasons’, broken down by Regiment since 2010. The figures are for the trade trained Regular Army only and therefore exclude personnel that are not trade trained, Gurkhas, Full Time Reserve Service, Mobilised Reserves, Army Reserve and all other Reserves. Voluntary Outflow is defined as exits from trained personnel generated by the individual before their time expiry i.e. before their end of engagement. Time expired is defined as personnel who leave at the end of their engagement. Other reasons for outflow include administrative action, discipline, medical, death and redundancy. Table 1 – Voluntary Outflow  Arm/ServiceTotal Outflow20102011201220132014201520162017 Total  4,240  4,670  5,460  5,060  4,130  4,650  4,640  4,680  Staff 400 4050505050605050 Household Cavalry/Royal Armoured Corps 2,560 290310390440270260290320 The Life Guards 200 3030204010202030 Royal Horse Guards 200 3020303020303020 The Queen’s Dragoon Guards 160 1030302020102020 The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards 220 2020405020202020 The Royal Dragoon Guards 230 2040603010202030 The Queen’s Royal Hussars 280 2030404040205030 9th/12th Royal Lancers* 140 3030203020-N/AN/A The Queen's Royal Lancers* 130 301030302010N/AN/A The Royal Lancers 80 N/AN/AN/AN/AN/A202040 The King’s Royal Hussars 270 3020304030205040 The Light Dragoons 210 1020303020202040 1 RTR* 90 2010104020N/AN/AN/A 2 RTR* 180 4030406020N/AN/AN/A Royal Tank Regiment 150 ----20504040 Royal Regiment of Artillery 2,640 230330390370330360320310 Corps of Royal Engineers 4,420 570610670580380560570480 Royal Corps of Signals 2,970 300350370370330450410380 Infantry 10,550 1,2201,2701,7201,4601,2001,1601,1701,360 1st Battalion Grenadier Guards 370 4050506070205030 1st Battalion Coldstream Guards 370 4050705020304060 1st Battalion Scots Guards 270 2030403030404040 1st Battalion Irish Guards 270 3030504020203040 1st Battalion Welsh Guards 360 6050602040404050 The Royal Regiment of Scotland 1,390 150150210190160170170180 The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment 650 607013090805080100 The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment 590 70606080601108070 The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers 610 505090100100906060 The Royal Anglian Regiment 720 110801309080807080 The Yorkshire Regiment 670 707013012050706080 The Mercian Regiment 880 8011016013010010010090 The Royal Welsh 520 60608060100704060 The Royal Irish Regiment 300 5040404030403030 The Parachute Regiment 1,010 12016019011010011090130 The Royal Gurkha Rifles 30 ------10- The Rifles 1,540 180210220230160110170260 Army Air Corps 740 508012011010010010080 Royal Army Chaplains' Department 20 -------- Royal Logistic Corps 4,370 580670610480430540540510 Royal Army Medical Corps 1,110 140130130160140130130150 Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers 3,760 350430460480420530540550 Adjutant Generals Corps Staff & Personnel Support 1,160 130130170180130140150120 Adjutant Generals Corps Royal Military Police 690 907080100809090100 Adjutant Generals Corps Military Provost Service 50 -10-1010101010 Adjutant Generals Corps Educational and Training Services Branch 140 1020302020201020 Adjutant Generals Corps Army Legal Services Branch 30 -----10-- AGC Unspecified- -------- Royal Army Veterinary Corps 170 2020202020203020 Small Arms School Corps 50 101010---1010 Royal Army Dental Corps 120 2010202010101020 Intelligence Corps 720 8060801009080120110 Royal Army Physical Training Corps 100 1010201010101020 Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps 310 4040403040404040 Corps of Army Music 330 4050504040403030 Senior Soldier Continuity Posts 120 1010202020101010 Source: Defence Statistics (Army) Table 2 – End of Engagement Outflow Arm/ServiceTotal Outflow20102011201220132014201520162017Total  1,910  2,360  2,270  2,000  1,780  1,650  880  870 Staff 360 6050504040504030Household Cavalry/Royal Armoured Corps 940 150180130100901407080The Life Guards 60 101010-101010-Royal Horse Guards 70 10101010101010-The Queen’s Dragoon Guards 60 102010---10-The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards 80 102010201010-10The Royal Dragoon Guards 70 102010--10-10The Queen’s Royal Hussars 100 20201020101010109th/12th Royal Lancers* 70 201010101010N/AN/AThe Queen's Royal Lancers* 70 202010101010N/AN/AThe Royal Lancers 20 N/AN/AN/AN/AN/A-1010The King’s Royal Hussars 80 2020101010101010The Light Dragoons 100 202010201010-101 RTR* 30 101010--N/AN/AN/A2 RTR* 40 102010--N/AN/AN/ARoyal Tank Regiment 60 --10-10101010Royal Regiment of Artillery 1,380 2002802502001701207090Corps of Royal Engineers 1,150 14019018017013015010090Royal Corps of Signals 1,180 13015019019017015010090Infantry 2,750 4606004403203303101501401st Battalion Grenadier Guards 90 102010101020--1st Battalion Coldstream Guards 80 202010101010--1st Battalion Scots Guards 90 1030201020---1st Battalion Irish Guards 70 10201010-1010-1st Battalion Welsh Guards 80 2020101010-10-The Royal Regiment of Scotland 450 70100705070701020The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment 140 203020202020--The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment 210 4030403020201020The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers 140 2040202020101010The Royal Anglian Regiment 130 2030202010101010The Yorkshire Regiment 200 4040303030101010The Mercian Regiment 180 2040402030101010The Royal Welsh 140 3030202010101010The Royal Irish Regiment 80 10202020----The Parachute Regiment 210 4050202020301020The Royal Gurkha Rifles 20 1010------The Rifles 410 8080703050602020Army Air Corps 260 3040403040502020Royal Army Chaplains' Department 30 ---10-10--Royal Logistic Corps 1,970 230230370330300270130110Royal Army Medical Corps 430 9060506060603020Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers 1,620 2103403302802001505070Adjutant Generals Corps Staff & Personnel Support 450 7070607080502030Adjutant Generals Corps Royal Military Police 250 4040405030202020Adjutant Generals Corps Military Provost Service 40 1010------Adjutant Generals Corps Educational and Training Services Branch 60 -1010101010--Adjutant Generals Corps Army Legal Services Branch 10 --------AGC Unspecified - --------Royal Army Veterinary Corps 30 -----10--Small Arms School Corps 30 -----10--Royal Army Dental Corps 50 --101020---Intelligence Corps 180 2030203010402010Royal Army Physical Training Corps 140 2020202010101010Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps 110 1020101020201010Corps of Army Music 60 10201010-10--Senior Soldier Continuity Posts 240 2020404060302020Source: Defence Statistics (Army) Table 3 – ‘Other Reasons’ Outflow Arm/ServiceTotal Outflow20102011201220132014201520162017Total  2,300  2,320  5,060  6,940  4,530  2,660  2,230  2,540 Staff 80 --5020----Household Cavalry/Royal Armoured Corps 1,720 150170270450230150120180The Life Guards 90 10-10201010-20Royal Horse Guards 130 2010204020201010The Queen’s Dragoon Guards 130 1010302020201010The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards 110 1020203010  20The Royal Dragoon Guards 200 2020504020201030The Queen’s Royal Hussars 160 10302040202010109th/12th Royal Lancers* 70 101020201010N/AN/AThe Queen's Royal Lancers* 120 2020205010-N/AN/AThe Royal Lancers 40 N/AN/AN/AN/AN/A102020The King’s Royal Hussars 150 1020203020202020The Light Dragoons 190 20303040301020201 RTR* 100 1010205010N/AN/AN/A2 RTR* 100 -10205020N/AN/AN/ARoyal Tank Regiment 100 --101020302020Royal Regiment of Artillery 2,230 220210280520320220240230Corps of Royal Engineers 2,580 140160420890360190200210Royal Corps of Signals 1,630 100100310470270150120120Infantry 10,600 1,0309701,5402,2901,7101,0909301,0401st Battalion Grenadier Guards 330 30405070404030301st Battalion Coldstream Guards 360 40504070504040401st Battalion Scots Guards 320 30306070403020301st Battalion Irish Guards 300 40204080402020201st Battalion Welsh Guards 320 4020507040304040The Royal Regiment of Scotland 1,390 120130210330200130120150The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment 600 40509015090605060The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment 820 80601301701501006070The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers 550 605090120110404030The Royal Anglian Regiment 670 706090150100605090The Yorkshire Regiment 810 8070110160150807090The Mercian Regiment 1,010 10011012020018011011080The Royal Welsh 690 7050130150120705040The Royal Irish Regiment 240 1020206030303030The Parachute Regiment 530 40406010090706060The Royal Gurkha Rifles 10 --------The Rifles 1,630 150160230330270190120200Army Air Corps 330 2020609060302030Royal Army Chaplains' Department 10 --------Royal Logistic Corps 5,240 4104201,3301,110920420300350Royal Army Medical Corps 460 4040606090604060Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers 2,010 100100470690220160120140Adjutant Generals Corps Staff & Personnel Support 780 5060190170110606080Adjutant Generals Corps Royal Military Police 250 10102040100302030Adjutant Generals Corps Military Provost Service 10 --------Adjutant Generals Corps Educational and Training Services Branch 20 ---10----Adjutant Generals Corps Army Legal Services Branch 10 --------AGC Unspecified - --------Royal Army Veterinary Corps 90 --10-40201010Small Arms School Corps - --------Royal Army Dental Corps 110 -10-403020--Intelligence Corps 100 -10102020101020Royal Army Physical Training Corps 30 - 10 1010--Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps 140 1010101020202030Corps of Army Music 40 -10--10---Senior Soldier Continuity Posts 70 --104010--10Source: Defence Statistics (Army)Notes All Officers of paid rank Colonel and above are included in Staff regardless of Arm/Service. In 2015, The 9th/12th Royal Lancers and The Queens Lancers formed The Royal Lancers on amalgamation, prior to this the Regiments are counted separately for clarity and The Royal Lancers figures will be N/A as the Regiment was not yet formed. The 1 Royal Tank Regiment (RTR) and 2RTR formed under the Royal Tank Regiment on amalgamation in 2015. Figures have been rounded to 10 for presentational purposes; numbers ending in "5" have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias. Totals and sub-totals have been rounded separately and so may not appear to be the sum of their parts. “-” denotes zero or rounded to zero.

Shipbuilding: Aircraft Carriers

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether amphibious ships, including the Albion-class landing platform dock are considered as aircraft carriers for the purpose of the National Shipbuilding Strategy.

Stuart Andrew: No.

Defence: Scotland

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the (a) amount and (b) proportion of the defence budget that was spent in Scotland in each year since 2009-10.

Gavin Williamson: The Ministry of Defence does not hold total Defence expenditure figures for Scotland (or any other part of the UK) and, therefore, cannot calculate the proportion of the Defence budget spent in Scotland. However, regional statistics on Defence expenditure with industry in Scotland, and other parts of the UK, are publicly available.These statistics can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/mod-regional-expenditure-with-uk-industry-and-supported-employment-201617It must be noted that Defence expenditure with industry is only a portion of total Defence expenditure in the region.

Defence: Modernisation

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 15 October to Question 177627, for what reason he is not in a position to provide a more definite time frame.

Gavin Williamson: Cross-Government discussion of the Modernising Defence Programme is ongoing. We will be able to provide a more definite time frame once that discussion is suitably advanced.

Iran: International Military Services

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when and for what reason the next enforcement hearing for the court case between IMS Ltd and the Iranian Government on outstanding IMS debt will take place; whether that hearing will be in public; and what legal issues that hearing will address.

Stuart Andrew: A hearing on the application by the Ministry of Defence and Support for Armed Forces Logistics (MODSAF) of the Islamic Republic of Iran relating to its dispute with IMS is currently scheduled for January 2019. As the subject matter relates to the enforcement of an arbitral award, the proceedings are confidential and the application will be in private.

Iran: Debts

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether the Government has reviewed its existing debt obligations to Iran since the US Administration announced the reinstatement of sanctions against that country.

Stuart Andrew: The Ministry of Defence is not responsible for Government debt.

Princess Eugenie: Marriage

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much money from the public purse was spent by his Department on the wedding of Princess Eugenie.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Additional costs to the Ministry of Defence (i.e. over and above those normally incurred, such as salaries) resulting from the wedding of Her Royal Highness Princess Eugenie to Mr Jack Brooksbank on Friday 12 October in Windsor were less than £250.

Department for Work and Pensions

Children: Maintenance

Douglas Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 1 May 2018 to Questions 137165 and 137166 on Children: Maintenance, if he will publish the figures for (a) Dunfermline and West Fife, (b) Glenrothes and (c) North East Fife constituency.

Justin Tomlinson: The number of paying parents with unpaid maintenance, and the corresponding amount of money outstanding of such unpaid maintenance as of June 2018 for the constituencies of Dunfermline and West Fife, Glenrothes, and North East Fife are outlined in the table below.   Number of paying parents with unpaid maintenanceAmount of unpaid maintenance (£)Dunfermline and West Fife210290,000Glenrothes260410,000North East Fife130160,000 Paying parents are rounded to the nearest 10, unpaid maintenance is rounded to the nearest £10,000.

Poverty

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of the recommendations in the report, A new measure of poverty for the UK, published by the Social Metrics Commission in September 2018.

Justin Tomlinson: We welcome the work that the Social Metrics Commission has done. Measuring poverty is complex, and this report offers further insight into that complexity. From discussions with SMC they acknowledge that further work needs to be done (particularly around data availability and quality). We will carefully consider their recommendations and the detail behind the methodology they have employed when this has been made available.

Universal Credit

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has received representations from representatives of local authorities on the reimbursement of the additional costs of administering universal credit.

Alok Sharma: We have invited local authorities to disclose any additional costs that they have encountered associated with Universal Credit, and will consider the evidence under the new burdens funding policy. One local authority has requested additional funding and we are currently awaiting a completed additional costs claim form from them.

Universal Credit: Lone Parents

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reasons lone parents under 25 years old will no longer be entitled to receive the higher rate of personal allowance under universal credit.

Alok Sharma: The lower rates for younger claimants who are under the age of 25 years reflects the fact that they are more likely to live in someone else's household and have lower living costs and lower earnings expectations. This also reinforces the stronger work incentives that Universal Credit creates for this age group. Many claimants will have higher entitlements under Universal Credit but for those who do not, anyone on existing benefits or tax credits whose circumstances remain the same will not lose out in cash terms when claiming Universal Credit, as part of the managed migration process. These claimants will be given transitional protection to avoid cash loss at the point of change. Universal Credit is more generous in terms of childcare costs with an increased level of support for childcare costs from 70 per cent in legacy benefits, to 85 per cent within Universal Credit. This means that working families claiming Universal Credit can reclaim up to 85 per cent of their eligible childcare costs each month, up to a maximum of £646.35 for one child and £1,108.04 for two or more children. Since February 2018, Universal Credit claimants have been able to upload digital copies of their childcare cost receipts or invoices through their online Universal Credit account, which makes this process easier. Universal Credit also includes support for housing costs, children and support for disabled people and carers.__________________________________________________________________________

Universal Credit: Lone Parents

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of universal credit claimants are lone parents under 25.

Alok Sharma: We can provide an estimate based on households claiming UC by matching the UC household dataset (which contains information about family type), with the people on UC dataset (which contains information about age). The table gives the estimated total number of households on UC and those occupied by single parents under the age of 25 in June 2018. The notes should be read in conjunction with the information provided in the table. Estimated number of total households on Universal Credit and those occupied by single parents under the age of 25, Great Britain, June 2018 Number of householdsTotal883,000Single parents aged under 2534,000 Source: Universal Credit household dataset and people on Universal Credit dataset Notes:The figures are derived from unpublished information and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard.Figures have been rounded to the nearest thousand. Individual figures may not add up to the total due to rounding.A count date of the second Thursday of the month is used when calculating the statistics for the people and households on Universal Credit.The figure for households occupied by single parents has been deduced where the household has a family type of ‘single with child dependent(s)’.Further information on the background and methodology can be accessed here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/739399/universal-credit-statistics-background-methodology.pdfIt has not been possible to determine the age of approximately 8,000 single parent households

Social Security Benefits

Neil Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether people in receipt of back-payments for employment support allowance will also be in receipt of back-payments for other legacy benefits.

Sarah Newton: This exercise is to correct historic errors in Employment and Support Allowance and ensure arrears due are paid in line with primary legislation.Legacy benefits is the term used for benefits migrating to Universal Credit – these are income-related Employment and Support Allowance, Income-Based Jobseekers Allowance, Income Support, Housing Benefits, Child and Working Tax Credits.Where the Department administers these benefits we are ensuring that arrears due, as a result of these historic errors, are made to claimants in line with primary legislation. For benefits administered outside of the Department such as Tax Credits, eligibility is determined by the relevant authority/department.

Social Security Benefits: Garston and Halewood

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants of (a) legacy benefits, (b) personal independence payment and (c) universal credit in the Garston and Halewood constituency have been given an advance benefit payment to cover a delay in the receipt of their benefit instalments in the last 12 months.

Alok Sharma: Advances are available in legacy benefits and Universal Credit to help claimants ahead of their first benefit payment. The number of advances made for claimants in the Garston and Halewood constituency is not readily available and can only be provided at disproportionate cost. Our latest internal management information data as of July 2018 shows that, nationally, over 60% of new claims currently receive either a ‘New Claim’ or ‘Benefit Transfer’ advance which shows claimants are getting the support they need. There is no provision for advance payments when applying for Personal Independence Payment, as entitlement has to be established first.

Employment: Disability

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 2 July 2018 to Question 165609 on Employment: disability, when the research will be published; and whether that research will consider actual employment outcomes for disabled people as a target and reference point for the success of Disability Confident.

Sarah Newton: As stated in the Answer of 23 July 2018 to Question 165609, we have commissioned external research which explores whether employers who sign up to the Disability Confident scheme change their attitudes and behaviours in relation to disability employment, including whether they report increases in their employment of disabled people as a result of signing up. We expect to publish results from this research later this year.

Employment and Support Allowance: Mental Health

Dr Lisa Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made an assessment of the implications for her policies of the report entitled, Where your mental health just disappears overnight, published by Inclusion London.

Sarah Newton: The Department recognises that many of those claiming benefits are particularly vulnerable and we continue to explore ways to improve the customer journey, especially for those with mental health conditions, and have safeguards in place to ensure people are supported throughout the claiming and sanctions processes. Over half of Employment and Support Allowance claimants - 1.2 million people – have a mental health or behavioural-related condition.

Carer's Allowance

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the merits of increasing the carer's allowance.

Sarah Newton: The Government recognises and appreciates the vital contribution made by informal carers who provide invaluable support for relatives, partners, friends and neighbours who may be ill, frail or disabled.The Government is already supporting carers in a number of ways, including through the benefit system. Since 2010 the rate of Carer’s Allowance (CA) has increased from £53.90 to £64.60 a week, meaning an additional £550 a year for carers. By 2022/23 we are forecast to spend £3.7bn a year on CA, a real terms increase of more than a third since 2016/17. The new rate of CA for 2019/20 will be announced in due course as part of our annual uprating statement.And there is additional help for those carers on the lowest incomes who need help the most. For example, in 2017, six out of ten households on Universal Credit (UC) with a carer entitlement received a monthly award amount of over £400: this is on top of any CA they may receive. Many carers receiving UC will receive more money than others who receive these benefits, including some jobseekers for example.

Africa: Conditions of Employment

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions she has had with her African counterparts on support for the International Labour Organisation convention to end violence and harassment in the world of work.

Alok Sharma: The Department for Work and Pensions has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Universal Credit

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what criteria her Department uses to determine the repayment rates for Advance Payments awarded to people struggling financially who are in receipt of universal credit.

Alok Sharma: Universal Credit advances must be repaid in either a maximum of 12 months (for new claim, benefit transfer and budgeting advances) or 6 months (for a change of circumstances advances). The amount of the advance awarded is divided by either up to 6 or 12 to get the appropriate monthly repayment rate. This is explained in the advance award discussion with the claimant to make sure they can afford to repay the advance. However, if a claimant wishes, they can pay it back in less than the maximum number of months available, as long as the monthly repayment does not exceed the maximum repayment rate of a claimant’s standard allowance, which as a result of the 2018 Autumn Budget will be reduced from 40% to 30%. If during the recovery of an advance the claimant experiences an unforeseen expense that would cause them or their family genuine hardship if they were required to continue to repay the advance, then they can be offered a deferral period of the repayment of the advance of up to 3 months for a new claim, benefit transfer or change of circumstance advance and up to 6 months for a budgeting advance.

Work Capability Assessment: Mental Illness

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department have any plans to amend the qualifying criteria for the home work capability assessment for people suffering from mental health concerns.

Sarah Newton: Work is ongoing with the Work Capability Assessment provider to fully review their process for dealing with requests for a home visit. This review will consider all aspects of the process, including how claimants requiring a home visit can be identified more effectively at the beginning of the process, the ease with which a claimant can request a visit, and how we can make more efficient use of existing evidence to support the decision on whether a home visit is required.

Work Capability Assessment

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many work capability assessments were conducted at home for people suffering from (a) mental illnesses and (b) physical illnesses in (i) Barnsley, (ii) South Yorkshire and (iii) England in each year for which information is available.

Sarah Newton: Information is not held by mental or physical illness, nor is it broken down by specific location. To obtain this information would involve disproportionate costs. From May 2015 to September 2018 there have been 18,599 Home Visits for Work Capability Assessments conducted throughout England.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Natural England: Staff

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2018 to Question 176216 on Natural England: Staff, if he will publish the work that has been stopped at Natural England as a result of (a) roles being unfilled and (b) work reallocated.

George Eustice: There are no unfilled roles in Natural England. It is the case that as a result of the 2018/19 business planning round and the focus on EU departure work that Natural England has had to reprioritise its work. This has led to some Natural England staff having the opportunity to be seconded to Defra to assist with important EU departure work, in order to secure our long term environmental objectives as we leave the EU.

Fisheries

Dr Sarah Wollaston: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the (a) location and (b) scale of bycatch in inshore fisheries; and when he plans to publish that assessment.

George Eustice: The Government funds the UK bycatch monitoring programme which provides essential observer data on incidents of bycatch. Bycatch levels are broken down by gear type and area. We do not have information on the exact numbers of bycaught individuals in inshore fisheries but estimates derived from observer data can be found here: http://randd.defra.gov.uk/Default.aspx?Menu=Menu&Module=More&Location=None&ProjectID=18535. The Sea Mammal Research Unit has undertaken work to identify potential marine mammal bycatch hotspots in the UK and the viability of the deployment of acoustic deterrent devices in the southwest of England. This report will be published following peer review. We are currently working with stakeholders to develop a UK Cetacean Bycatch Strategy to address the issue of unintentional capture of dolphins, whales and porpoises. The Strategy will focus on implementing practical solutions in areas where there are high levels of bycatch, initially focussing on the southwest of England.

Agriculture: Migrant Workers

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure the maintenance of the UK’s (a) meat processing sector and (b) other agriculture industries in the Government's immigration policies after the UK leaves the EU.

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the meat sector is able to recruit adequate levels of labour after the UK leaves the EU.

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps is his Department taking to ensure that butchery skills are included as a classification in the Government's immigration framework after the UK leaves the EU.

George Eustice: Defra is working closely with the Home Office to ensure that the food and farming sector, including meat processing, has access to the workforce it needs, as part of the future immigration policy. After we leave the EU, we must have an immigration system which works in the best interests of the UK; controlling immigration whilst continuing to welcome those who make a contribution. A White Paper on the future border and immigration system is expected to be published in the autumn.

Agriculture: Training

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to support agricultural industries in the training of domestic workers after the UK leaves the EU; and if he will make a statement.

George Eustice: Enabling an innovative, productive and competitive farming sector which invests in its people and skills is a priority for this Government.Agricultural technologies are transforming farming and creating new types of jobs and requirements for new kinds of skills. The Government is working with industry and the Food and Drink Sector Council to develop a long term action plan for a world class workforce for all sectors of the food chain, including agriculture. The target is to transform the skills agenda and raise awareness of agriculture as an exciting and attractive career path.The Government is also reforming post-16 technical education to provide clear routes to skilled employment in agriculture and other sectors. A key part of this is the introduction of new T levels programmes which will sit alongside apprenticeships, including for agriculture, environmental and animal care.

Disposable Wipes

Thelma Walker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to reduce the use of non-biodegradable wet wipes.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Government is working with the water and manufacturing industries to prevent wet wipes entering our waterways and damaging our marine environment. I hosted a cross industry wet wipes roundtable in December 2016 to tackle them being incorrectly flushed and causing sewer blockages. Following the meeting, EDANA (the trade body for wet wipe products) produced a new labelling code of practice. This code has been widely adopted. Key changes include all baby wipes being labelled ‘do not flush’ and improvements to the size and legibility of the ‘do not flush’ symbol, which must now be displayed on the front as well as the back of packaging. Water UK and EDANA are also working together to develop an agreed ‘flushability’ standard for those wipes that are intended for disposal via toilets. We also want to tackle the amount of plastic in circulation in the first place, which is why we are encouraging innovation so that more and more of these products can be recycled. We will continue to work with industry to support the development of alternatives, such as a wet wipe product that does not contain plastic. While biodegradable materials may be seen as a solution to reduce the impact of waste, they can also be more environmentally damaging than non-biodegradable materials if disposed of incorrectly. Plastics which claim to be biodegradable should carry a relevant standard such as EN 13432 which will only biodegrade in very specific conditions.

Dairy Farming

Scott Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to introduce compulsory Common Market Organisation contracts between producers and purchasers in the dairy sector.

David Rutley: The Government is committed to improving supply chain fairness and intends to introduce regulation in the dairy sector to improve contractual practice. We will be launching a formal consultation to gather stakeholder views, and in advance of this we have already held a number of discussions with key industry bodies.

Air Pollution

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much funding he has allocated to air pollution alert systems in each of the last three years; and what steps he has taken to locate those systems in (a) schools, (b) hospitals and (c) nurseries.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Air quality is a devolved matter. In England, the government is committed to making sure the best independent evidence and information on pollution events is available to the public. As part of this commitment a five-day air quality forecast service from the Met Office is available to the public on Defra’s UK Air website. It provides up-to-date information on air pollution, and alerts during periods of elevated pollution. The latest real world measurements from monitoring sites are also available. The cost of providing this forecasting and dissemination platform is just over £1m. The national network of air quality monitors currently comprises 282 sites across the UK and is managed by the Environment Agency. Sites are organised into networks that gather information for a wide range of pollutants in towns and cities as well as in rural areas. Monitoring stations for key pollutants are sited in accordance with criteria set out in the EU Air Quality Directive to ensure measurements are representative and also comparable across all member states. The 9 National monitoring networks cost just under £6m per year to operate. As part of the Clean Air Strategy we are looking at providing a messaging system to inform the public about the air quality forecast, providing clearer information on air pollution episodes and accessible health advice. Local authorities also have requirements to monitor air pollution. The government provides guidance, including helpdesk advice, to local authorities on the appropriate type of monitoring to install. Where local authorities conduct air quality monitoring, they are expected to site monitors in accordance with local and national priorities, which may include schools and other locations where there is high risk of public exposure.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October to Written Question 175821 on Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Brexit, what the names are of the five projects which are behind schedule.

David Rutley: These change on a regular basis – and in fact fewer projects are behind schedule since the previous question was asked – as our monitoring is constantly updated.

Dogs: Smuggling

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Dogs Trust report entitled Puppy smuggling - when will this cruel trade end?, what assessment he has made of the risk posed by the illegal importation to the UK of puppies and dogs from Serbia and other third countries.

David Rutley: Defra takes the health and welfare of pet animals coming to the UK very seriously. We share the view expressed by Dogs Trust in their most recent report about puppy smuggling that this is an abhorrent practice that harms the health and welfare of the animals involved. Moreover, we are determined to put an end to the illegal trade in puppies by adopting a zero tolerance approach to those that seek to exploit the Pet Travel Scheme (PTS) for the purpose of profit. The latest Dogs Trust investigative report highlighted the activities of unscrupulous traders who import puppies from third countries, such as Serbia, using falsified passports that conceal the true age and country of origin of the puppies, presenting a risk to the health of pets and people in the UK. The Animal Plant and Health Agency’s Intelligence Unit continues to gather information on those importing puppies illegally to quantify the scale of the problem and allow targeted disruption of their activities. Furthermore, Defra is engaged in a process of evaluating the risks to animal health and welfare that illegal imports of dogs pose, and developing long term strategies to better tackle them. We look forward to working with Dogs Trust on the evidence they have gathered to help inform our analysis.

Food: UK Trade With EU

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether any new checks are proposed for imported food from the EU after 29 March 2019.

David Rutley: There would be no change on the day the UK leaves the EU to current controls of imports of animal products or high risk food for imports direct from the EU. The Government is currently considering what controls should be applied to imports in the future, beyond our immediate exit from the EU.

Imports

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to safeguard the (a) animal welfare (b) environmental and (c) food safety standards of imports from third countries in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

David Rutley: The Government is proud of this country’s high standards of animal welfare, environmental protection and food safety and these will not be watered down when we leave the EU. Our existing UK legislation will continue to apply and the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 will convert EU law as it applies at the point of leaving the EU, into UK law. All existing standards at the point of leaving the EU will, therefore, continue to apply both domestically and to imported goods.

Home Office

Sexual Offences: Internet

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps he is taking to monitor and regulate perpetrators of online child sexual exploitation.

Victoria Atkins: The UK has some of the toughest powers in the world to deal with sex offenders and we are committed to ensuring that the system is as robust as it can be.Registered sex offenders are managed by the police, who are in the best position to identify the risk posed by individuals. There are a range of legislative measures available to the police, including the notification requirements (commonly referred to as ‘the sex offenders register’) and civil orders to manage known sex offenders living in the community.Other criminal justice partners and social care agencies contribute to the effective management of sex offenders through Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA). These are statutory arrangements that seek to reduce the serious re-offending behaviour of sexual and violent offenders by the sharing of information.We are very clear that the police are best placed to assess the risk of an offender committing another crime, and they will rightly put the public first. We continue to work with the Police and other law enforcement agencies to ensure that the right powers are available for the authorities to tackle sexual crimes and to bring perpetrators to justice.

Burglary

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what (a) steps his Department is taking and (b) support his Department is providing to police forces to tackle burglary offences.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Government recognises the particularly invasive nature of burglary and the impact that it can have on people’s lives. This is why we encourage all victims to report these crimes to the police, and we expect the police to take all such reports seriously, to investigate and, where appropriate, bring offenders to court so that they can receive appropriate punishment.It is, however, for Chief Constables and Police and Crime Commissioners, as operational leaders and elected local representatives, to decide how best to deploy resources to manage and respond to individual crimes and local crime priorities.The police have the resources they need to carry out their vital work. We have provided a strong and comprehensive funding settlement that is increasing total investment in the police by over £460 million in 2018/19.

Undocumented Workers: Leicester

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people in Leicester were working illegally between January 2017 and January 2018.

Caroline Nokes: The number of illegal workers encountered during visits within the LE postcode area, where civil penalties were issued between 1 January 2017 to 31 December 2017 was 57

Undocumented Workers: Greater London and South East

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the value of penalties issued to employers of illegal workers was in (a) London and (b) the South East between January 2017 and January 2018.

Caroline Nokes: The total value of civil penalties issued between 1 January 2017 to 31 December 2017 where illegal workers were encountered during visits within (a) London Boroughs was £9.5m and (b) South East England (not including London Boroughs) was £7m.Please note all figures are for penalties levied at the initial decision stage which may be reduced, cancelled, increased or reissued at the objection or appeal stage.

Undocumented Migrants: Fixed Penalties

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many penalty notices on drivers and hauliers carrying illegal entrants have been issued since January 2018.

Caroline Nokes: A total of 1,818 penalty notices have been served between 1 January 2018 and 30 September 2018.**This relates to notices served at the point of detection informing a driver/haulier that they are potentially liable for a penalty.

Undocumented Migrants: Fines

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much revenue has accrued to the public purse from penalties on British drivers and hauliers carrying clandestine illegal entrants in 2018.

Caroline Nokes: A total of £951,336 has been recovered between 1 January 2018 and 30 September 2018.**Note the monies recovered do not directly relate to the penalty notices served during the same period.

Visas

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of people applying for a visitor visa to the UK subsequently applied for work visas in each of the last three years.

Caroline Nokes: The information requested is not held and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost by matching millions of records. Information on the number of visit visa applications is published in the quarterly Immigration Statistics, Visas volume 1 table vi_01_q, latest edition at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-june-2018/list-of-tables#visas

Visas: Overseas Students

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many student study visas were issued in 2017.

Caroline Nokes: Information on the number of study entry clearance visas granted is published in the quarterly Immigration Statistics, Visas volume 1 table vi_01_q, latest edition at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-june-2018/list-of-tables#visas

Identity Cards

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many UK residence cards were issued in 2017.

Caroline Nokes: Information on the number of issues of documents recognising residence is published in the quarterly Immigration Statistics, EEA table ee_02, latest edition at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-june-2018/list-of-tables#european-economic-area-eea

Asylum: Housing

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what (a) lessons learned from the current implementation period and b) advice from external bodies was used to draft the provisions of the asylum accommodation contract.

Caroline Nokes: Since the establishment of the project in the autumn of 2016, there has been extensive engagement with strategic stakeholders, including Strategic Migration Partnerships (SMPs), Local Authorities and Statutory Organisations, to feed their views into the design of the next generation of contracts. In addition, the project has undertaken market engagement with private and public sector suppliers to understand what is required to deliver effective solutions for the provision of accommodation and support to asylum seekers.The Home Office has considered lessons learnt from the existing contracts and Stakeholder feedback had considerable influence on the specifications in the contract, where the Home Office has adopted a host of improvements that were proposed by stakeholders. With these changes we aim to ensure that the new contracts build upon the groundwork for a constructive relationship between central government, local government, the private sector and civil society, to the benefit of communities and those seeking our protection.

Visas: Graduates

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will introduce a Global Graduate Talent visa to allow international students sponsored by a UK university to work in the UK for a limited period following their graduation.

Caroline Nokes: The Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) recently published its review of the impact of International Students in the UK. The MAC made several recommendations regarding port study work, though they did not recommend a separate post study work visa.We will be carefully considering the recommendations made in the report and will be responding in due course.

Lancashire Constabulary: Proceeds of Crime

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much money Lancashire Constabulary was allowed to keep under section 298 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 in (a) 2015, (b) 2016 and (c) 2017; what that money was used for; and to which organisations that money was donated.

Mr Ben Wallace: The amounts returned to Lancashire Constabulary from cash forfeited under section 298 of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 in the relevant financial years is given in the table below. 2014/15£308,066.042015/16£313,404.912016/17£289,835.26 The use of returned money is a matter for the individual agencies, but there is an expectation that it will be used for driving up asset recovery performance and for reducing harm; including community project funding. In monitoring the use of the money, we are aware that most of the amount returned to Lancashire Constabulary has been used to build and maintain a financial investigation capacity and capability.

Violent and Sex Offender Register: Employment

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many registered sex offenders are in full time employment.

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of registered sex offenders have reoffended as a result of a breach of a Sexual Harm Prevention Order in the last 12 months.

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of unemployed people with convictions are registered sex offenders.

Victoria Atkins: The UK has some of the toughest powers in the world to deal with sex offenders and we are committed to ensuring that the system is as robust as it can be.Registered sex offenders are managed by the police, who are in the best position to identify the risk posed by individuals. There is a range of legislative measures available to the police including civil orders to manage known sex offenders living in the community.Other criminal justice partners and social care agencies contribute to the effective management of sex offenders through Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA). These are statutory arrangements that seek to reduce the serious re-offending behaviour of sexual and violent offenders by the sharing of information. The MAPPA annual report contains statistical information on Registered Sex Offenders, including those who breach their notification requirements. The report can be found on the GOV.UK website: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/multi-agency-public-protection-arrangements-mappa-annual-report-2017-to-2018

European Arrest Warrants and Schengen Agreement

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessments he had made of the effect on (a) the number of successful arrests, (b) the duration of investigations, and (c) the cost of investigations of the loss of (a) the Schengen information system and (b) the European arrest warrant in the event that the UK leaves with EU without a deal.

Mr Nick Hurd: The continued safety and security of both UK and EU citizens remains our top priority. We do not want or expect a no deal outcome. However, a re-sponsible government should prepare for all potential outcomes.That is why the Home Office is coordinating the preparation of robust con-tingency plans, including for the Schengen Information System II and the European Arrest Warrant, to transition our cooperation with European partners and continue to work together through alternative channels, should that be required.The design and implementation of the contingency plans are informed by close co-operation with operational partners to ensure the effective transition of our cooperation, should that be required. Our overriding objective, however, remains to secure a deal that is in the interests of both the UK and the EU.

Drugs: Misuse

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to (a) improve and (b) increase on-street testing for the drug spice.

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to disrupt supply networks of the drug Spice.

Mr Nick Hurd: A wide range of synthetic cannabinoids are misleadingly supplied under the street name Spice.We recognise how dangerous these drugs can be. That is why we acted to control this group of substances as class B drugs under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and give the police the powers they need to take action, including making possession illegal and making longer sentences for dealers possible.Our Drug Strategy emphasises the importance of a joined-up approach to tackling the harms caused by drugs to prevent substance misuse, restrict the supply of drugs and support people to recover from drug dependency. We strongly support multi-agency approaches being taken in local areas to respond to this issue in order to prevent harm to those who take them and reduce the burden they place on public services.It is a matter for individual forces as to whether and how they use drug testing.

Offenders: Deportation

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many foreign nationals who have been subject to deportation after release from prison in each of the past eight years had been ordinarily resident in their country of origin since they were aged (a) 4, (b) 5, (c) 6, (d) 7, (e) 8, (f) 9, (g) 10, (h) 11-15 and (i) 16-20.

Caroline Nokes: Providing the information requested would require a manual check of individual records which could only be done at disproportionate cost.

Department for International Development

Developing Countries: Mental Health Services

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans she has to provide support for improvements to mental health training for healthcare workers in low and middle income countries.

Alistair Burt: We align our support for health workers in low- and middle-income countries with priorities set by national governments, and the UK’s objective in strengthening local health systems. This includes working to improve the provision, equity and quality of mental health services and supporting the most marginalized to participate in decisions affecting their health. For example, in Ghana our Health Sector Support Programme has supported mental health systems strengthening and efforts to address underlying stigma and discrimination. Our funding for health partnerships between the UK and developing countries has scaled up peer support work in Uganda and delivered mental health training for maternity care providers in Nepal to improve mental health care.

Bilateral Aid

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, for what reason her Department's bilateral aid spending on (a) human development and (b) economic development declined in financial year 2017-18 compared with 2016-17.

Alistair Burt: DFID’s bilateral spending on human development remained the same between 2016/17 and 2017/18 at £1.9bn. Bilateral spending on economic development rose from £1.7bn in 2016/17 to £1.9bn in 2017/18. The data are available on the International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) website.

Afghanistan: Humanitarian Aid

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what estimate she has made of the proportion of her Department's multi-year humanitarian support to Afghanistan which will be allocated to Afghan Sikhs.

Alistair Burt: DFID’s multi-year humanitarian support to Afghanistan 2014-2019 is delivered to the most vulnerable populations in need of assistance. These are identified in line with the humanitarian principles of neutrality and impartiality and therefore support is delivered irrespective of status or political control. On this basis, no single religious or ethnic group, including Afghan Sikhs, has been allocated a specific proportion of humanitarian support from DFID.

Conditions of Employment

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with her French counterpart on placing violence and harassment in the workplace on the agenda for next year’s meeting of the G7.

Alistair Burt: The Secretary of State for International Development has not yet discussed next year’s G7 agenda with her French counterpart. The Government strongly supports the adoption of an ILO Convention on ending violence and harassment in the world of work. The Government, led by the Department for Work and Pensions, is fully engaged in discussions in the ILO on the scope and content of the proposed Convention and as part of that is in regular contact with other states on this issue.

Developing Countries: Conditions of Employment

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what plans she has to visit the countries in which her Department funds programmes to tackle violence and harassment in the world of work.

Alistair Burt: Violence and harassment in the workplace is sadly endemic within many supply chains in the world, which is why our Responsible Accountable Transparent Enterprise programme, through which we are tackling these problems, has a global remit. Promoting the creation of good quality jobs is a focus of most country visits all Ministers undertake.

Developing Countries: Conditions of Employment

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with UK businesses working in countries in receipt of Official Development Assistance funding on support provided by those businesses for ending violence and harassment in the workplace.

Alistair Burt: Through the various partners that we work with on this agenda, including the Ethical Trading Initiative, ISEAL Alliance and UN Global Compact, we are providing support to a large constituency of UK businesses on tackling violence and harassment across their operations.

Scotland Office

Scotland Office: Capita

Christian Matheson: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, which contracts awarded by his Department are operated by Capita.

David Mundell: The Office of the Secretary of State for Scotland has not awarded any contracts which are operated by Capita.

Scotland Office: Migrant Workers

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, how many citizens of non-UK EU countries work in (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) its non-departmental public bodies.

David Mundell: The Office of the Secretary of Scotland does not employ staff directly. All staff that join do so on assignment, loan or secondment from other government bodies, principally the Ministry of Justice and the Scottish Government, who remain the employers. Detailed information on the nationality of staff is held by the parent employers.

Domestic Visits: Glasgow North East

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, if he will publish the (a) and (b) locations of all UK ministerial visits to Glasgow North East constituency since the 2010 General Election.

David Mundell: Ministers regularly undertake visits to constituencies across Scotland. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Scotland last visited the Glasgow North East constituency on 31 August 2018 to tour McGhees Family bakers at 10 Keppochhill Drive, Glasgow G21 1HX. Under the Ministerial Code, Ministers intending to make an official visit are required to inform in advance those MPs whose constituencies are to be included within the itinerary.

Veterans: Suicide

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether he has raised the issue of veteran suicides in Scotland in any meetings with (a) the Ministry of Defence and (b) any other ministers in the UK or Scottish Governments.

David Mundell: I have regular discussions with UK Government and Scottish Government colleagues on a number of matters. I attend meetings of the Ministerial Covenant and Veterans Board, at which both UK and Scottish Government ministers are present. The discussions of the Board have included health issues affecting the armed forces community, including suicide.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Gibraltar: Brexit

Sir Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assurances have been given to the Government of Gibraltar on the (a) withdrawal agreement that the UK is negotiating with the EU and (b) framework for the UK's future relationship with the EU; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Heaton-Harris: As the Prime Minister said on Monday 22 October, following discussions with Spain and in close cooperation with the Government of Gibraltar, we have developed a protocol and set of underlying memoranda relating to Gibraltar. As set out in our White Paper, we will be seeking a future relationship for Gibraltar which appropriately reflects the particular characteristics and needs of the area, taking account of Gibraltar’s deep existing relationship with the EU.

Borders: Northern Ireland

Mr Jacob Rees-Mogg: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what assessment he has made of the ability of the EU to reach a legally binding agreement with the UK on a future trading relationship across the border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, including a border in the Irish Sea, in advance of the UK leaving the EU.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The future UK-EU trading relationship, which we are clear should ensure frictionless trade and avoid the need for a hard border, will need to be provided for in an agreement to be concluded once the the UK has left the EU. The EU will conclude the agreement under the procedure in Article 218 TFEU. The Withdrawal Agreement, which will include a legally operative Northern Ireland Protocol, needs to come into force when the UK leaves the EU. The PM has made clear that the customs solution in the Northern Ireland Protocol should be legally binding and UK wide, to ensure there is no scope for a customs border down the Irish Sea.

Brexit

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 23 October to Question 179064 on Brexit, whether the Government has made an assessment of the steps required to extend the transition period in the event that the arrangements for a future partnership between the UK and the EU are not in place.

Chris Heaton-Harris: In the Joint Report of December 2017, the EU and UK agreed the need for provisions in the Withdrawal Agreement preventing a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland. As the Prime Minister said during her Statement to the House on 22nd October 2018, we do not want to extend the implementation period, nor do we believe that extending it will be necessary. We are working at pace to ensure that the necessary arrangements for our future partnership are in place for 31 December 2020.

Government Departments: Disclosure of Information

Layla Moran: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 23 October 2018 to Question 178376, for what reasons he did not specify the number of non-disclosure agreements the Government has with private sector organisations; and if he will allow information on (a) how many and (b) which companies have entered non-disclosure agreements to be made available to all MPs and peers.

Chris Heaton-Harris: Government departments make use of non-disclosure agreements when structuring engagements with business on preparations for leaving the EU. They are a common component of contractual arrangements in order to protect commercial considerations and sensitives on policy.My department does not hold a record of all non-disclosure agreements with private sector organisations in place across Government.

Small Businesses: West Midlands

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what discussions he has had with small business owners in (a) Coventry and (b) the West Midlands on the potential effect on the operation of their businesses in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Chris Heaton-Harris: Ministers from across Government continue to engage extensively with businesses from all sectors of the economy and all regions of the UK, and regularly meet with business representative organisations. For example, Suella Braverman visited the West Midlands in July, meeting manufacturing businesses there.Ministers in my Department have undertaken more than 500 engagements with business and civil society stakeholders since July 2016. Details are published in the quarterly transparency returns.In the unlikely event of leaving the EU without a deal, we have published 106 technical notices on GOV.UK. These provide guidance to businesses on the steps they should take to prepare. We will publish further information to help business prepare for exit.

Gibraltar

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Prime Minister of 22 October 2018, Official Report, column 46, if he will place in the Library a copy of the (a) protocol and (b) underlying memoranda relating to Gibraltar.

Mr Robin Walker: The Protocol on Gibraltar will form part of the Withdrawal Agreement between the United Kingdom and the European Union. The Agreement will be laid in the House under section 13(1) of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018 once negotiations are concluded. We expect to make the Memoranda available in due course once negotiations on the overall agreement between the United Kingdom, the Government of Gibraltar and Spain are complete.

Treasury

Infrastructure: Finance

Alison McGovern: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much funding his Department plans to allocate to infrastructure development in each region of the Uk in each if the nest two years.

Robert Jenrick: This government is committed to ensuring that every part of the country has modern and efficient infrastructure. Our spending plans are helping to support investments such as the largest strategic road programme ever, over £1 billion to help stimulate the market to build the next generation of digital infrastructure and the biggest rail modernisation since the Victorian era. Our investment is supporting projects across the country. We are delivering more than £13 billion of investment in the North, improving connectivity through projects like the Manchester to Ordsall rail link and investing in communities with schemes such as the £337 million funding for new trains on the Tyne and Wear Metro. We are also investing in transformative projects to boost capacity – for instance, HS2 will provide fast, frequent and reliable connections between 8 out of 10 of Britain’s largest cities and their regions. For further information, a regional breakdown of per-capita central government transport spend in England from 2017/18-2020/21 can be found on page 45 of the 2017 Analysis of the National Infrastructure and Construction Pipeline: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/665332/Analysis_of_National_Infrastructure_and_Construction_Pipeline_2017.pdf. The North-West will receive the highest level of investment of any English ONS region.

Broadband: Finance

Alison McGovern: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what funding his Department plans to allocate to the provision of ultra-fast broadband in each region of the UK in each of the next two years.

Robert Jenrick: The government has committed over £1 billion to stimulate the market to build the next generation digital infrastructure the UK needs for the future. At Budget 2018, the government announced £200 million from the National Productivity Investment Fund to pilot innovative approaches to deploying full fibre in rural locations. This follows previous commitments, including the £400 million Digital Infrastructure Investment Fund, the £67 million Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme and the £190 million Local Full Fibre Networks Challenge Fund, of which the remaining funds will be allocated to successful bidders in the coming months. The government has also identified around £200 million within the existing Superfast Programme that can further the delivery of full fibre networks.

Apprentices: Taxation

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his policy is on the allocation of surpluses from the apprenticeship levy to the Combined Authorities for the delivery of local skills agendas.

Elizabeth Truss: The current apprenticeship programme does not allocate funding to the Combined Authorities. The apprenticeships programme gives individual employers control over where apprenticeship funds are spent to meet current and future skills needs.Transfers to other employers are one way to support local skills needs and help sectors build sustainable capability for the future.

Social Security Benefits

Neil Gray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether people in receipt of back-payments for ESA are also entitled to receive back-payments for tax credits.

Elizabeth Truss: As with other legacy benefits, the government is considering the position of tax credit claimants who receive historical ESA payments from DWP.

Electric Vehicles

Neil Parish: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the merits of a potential role for the vehicle rental and leasing sector in increasing uptake of electric vehicles; and if he will bring forward the 2 per cent company car tax rate to April 2019 to help achieve that.

Robert Jenrick: The vehicle rental and leasing sector has an important role to play in helping to achieve the government’s ambition for the majority of new cars to be zero emission by 2040. The vehicle tax system incentivises the uptake of cars with low CO2 emissions with favourable rates of Vehicle Excise Duty and company car tax.

PAYE

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many cases there are of mistaken identity in the PAYE system in the last 12 months.

Mel Stride: The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Debts: Coventry

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent estimate his Department has made of the level of household debt in Coventry; and if he will make a statement.

John Glen: The Office for National Statistics (ONS) produce estimates of the level of household debt in the UK. The latest available regional data, covering the period 2012 to 2014, shows median household financial debt in the West Midlands is the lowest of any English region. In the UK as a whole, household debt-to-income was 140% in Q2 2018. This remains significantly below the pre-crisis peak of 160% in Q1 2008. Debt interest payments as a share of income remain low by historical standards and below pre-crisis levels. Household net financial wealth as a proportion of income remains close to record highs and above pre-crisis levels. The ONS does not produce estimates of the level of household debt in Coventry.

Affordable Housing: Expenditure

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much the Government has spent on affordable housing in the last (a) year and (b) five years.

Elizabeth Truss: The government funds affordable housing through the Affordable Homes Programme. It does not announce funding on a yearly basis. The allocations of funding are as follows: Affordable Homes Programme 2011 – 2015 £4.5 billion Affordable Homes Programme 2015 – 2018* £2.9 billionShared Ownership and Affordable Homes Programme 2016 – 2022 £9.1 billion (including £1 billion of commitments from the 2015 – 18 programme). (* In addition to the 2015 - 2018 programme we also announced the “Rent to Buy loan scheme” of £200 million funding to deliver Rent to Buy homes.)

Arms Trade: Qatar

Barry Gardiner: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what his Department's assessment was of the UK Export Finance proposal to provide financing support for the export of Typhoon aircraft and associated equipment and services to the Government of Qatar; and if he will place a copy of that assessment in the Library.

Elizabeth Truss: The Treasury gave consent to UK Export Finance (UKEF) to provide financing support for the export of Typhoon aircraft, associated equipment and services to the Government of Qatar on national interest grounds. The Treasury works closely with UKEF to assess the risks to the Exchequer arising from such support. To ensure effective assessments can be made, detailed commercially sensitive information is required. Were these assessments to be published, it would inhibit UKEF's ability to obtain the information required to consider transactions and would ultimately limit their ability to support UK exporters.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport: Universal Credit

Chris Stephens: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what estimate he has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of staff employed by his Department who are in receipt of universal credit; and if he will make a statement.

Margot James: We do not record or collate information on staff in receipt of Universal Credit.

Voluntary Work: Young People

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of national citizen service graduates have stated that they would like to continue social action after completing the programme in each of the last five years.

Tracey Crouch: The table below shows the percentage of participants who said they are ‘more likely to help out in my local area’ after NCS, as part of annual independent evaluations which are available on the NCS Trust’s website (2017 results are not yet published): YearSummerAutumn201372%76%201468%70%201566%67%201676%64% In addition, the NCS Trust estimates that participants have dedicated over 12 million hours to social action projects during phases 3 and 4 of the programme.

Cybercrime: Telecommunications

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what proportion of UK telecoms companies hold a CyberEssentials certicate.

Margot James: The Government’s National Cyber Security Strategy (2016-2021) sets out ambitious policies to protect the UK in cyberspace, backed with £1.9 billion investment. CyberEssentials provides organisations with protection against a wide variety of the most common cyber attacks. The scheme is managed by the National Cyber Security Centre. It is aimed at enterprise IT and not operations technologies such as telecoms systems. There are alternative schemes that cover the operational side of telecoms companies such as TBEST and Commodity Assured Service for Telecoms (CAS(T)). Telecommunications companies identified as Operators of Essential Services are required to implement cyber security improvements as a result of the Network Information Systems Directive (NIS Directive). This NIS Directive was transposed into UK domestic legislation in May 2018. The measures that Operators of Essential Services need to implement to comply with the NIS Regulations go beyond the requirements of CyberEssentials.

Cybercrime: Business

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the number of companies handling large amounts of citizens data which hold a CyberEssentials certificate.

Margot James: Cyber Essentials provides organisations with protection against a wide variety of the most common cyber attacks. The National Cyber Security Centre does not hold the data on the number of large companies handling citizens data that hold a certificate.

Big Lottery Fund

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 22 October 2018 to Question 180106, what the size is of the grant for each recipient named.

Tracey Crouch: The National Lottery raises over £1.6 Billion a year for good cause projects across the UK. 40% of this funding is distributed for Big Lottery Fund.The Big Lottery Fund is the largest funder of community activity in the UK. It funds both large and small charities across every community in the UK.Every year, around 90% of its awards to community projects are for £10,000 or less.On the attached sheet are the top 30 recipients of the largest grants given by the Big Lottery Fund in each of the last 10 years, and the total size of the grant for each recipient.



The top 30 recipients of the largest grants
(Excel SpreadSheet, 38.48 KB)

Football: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the financial transparency of football clubs.

Tracey Crouch: The footballing authorities take financial management within their sport very seriously. The FA has introduced a club licensing system in the National League System covering the areas of legal; ownership and control; integrity; finance; and grounds and security of tenure. The Premier League and English Football League that take responsibility for these matters for clubs in their competition now require business cases and proof of funds from owners, and a range of other financial and ownership related disclosures.However we are not complacent and we will continue to work with football to ensure that, as well as complying with the existing legal framework, there are regulations in place within the sport that support appropriate financial conduct.

House of Commons Commission

House of Commons Commission: Universal Credit

Chris Stephens: To ask the right hon. Member for Carshalton and Wallington, representing the House of Commons Commission, what estimate he has made of the (a) number and (b) proportion of staff employed in the House of Commons that are in receipt of universal credit; and if he will make a statement.

Tom Brake: As universal credit is paid directly to claimants, no data is held on the number or proportion of staff employed by the House of Commons who are in receipt of it.

Women and Equalities

Females: Prisoners

Jim Shannon: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Justice on providing support to female prisoners who have been in abusive relationships.

Penny Mordaunt: The Ministry of Justice published the Female Offender Strategy on 27 June 2018, which sets out their plan to improve outcomes for women in the community and custody. As part of this, Government is investing £5 million of funding over two years in community provision for women. A £3.5m grant funding competition was also launched for 2018/19 and 2019/20, which included £2m Domestic Abuse funding for female offenders from Home Office. Through her involvement with MoJ’s Advisory Board on Female Offenders, Victoria Atkins, Minister for Women, will have extensive engagement on how to support women in the justice system who have been in abusive relationships. In addition, the Home Office is funding projects which aim to better support women in the criminal justice system through the Violence Against Women and Girls Transformation fund. This includes a pilot of Sexual Violence Court Advocates and additional services provided to women in custody.

Sexual Harassment

Danielle Rowley: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, with reference to the awareness raised by the MeToo campaign, what steps her Department is taking to tackle workplace cultures that promote sexual harassment and abuse.

Victoria Atkins: The Government is clear that unwanted conduct in the workplace that violates a person’s dignity or creates a hostile or degrading environment is unacceptable. Legal protection from such harassment in the workplace exists through the Equality Act 2010. The Government is considering the recommendations made by the Women and Equalities Select Committee (WESC) in its inquiry report into sexual harassment in the workplace, and will respond to these in due course.